The conviction of an accused person by a court of law. A conviction means that the court finds the accused guilty of a crime and that there is enough evidence to convict them. Convictions can be either criminal or civil in nature.
Proving that someone is guilty of a crime can be very difficult for the prosecution because they must prove all elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. This includes proving that the accused committed the act knowingly, that the accused committed the offense willingly and that the accused did not have a valid legal defense or justification for what they did.
Wrongful convictions often result from false confessions due to coercion, duress or psychological manipulation; flaws in forensic evidence, such as DNA analysis, fingerprinting or ballistics; and prosecutorial misconduct. Often, individuals are wrongly convicted because they do not have sufficient access to good legal representation or because their attorneys make errors during the trial.
Once a person is convicted of a crime, they may be sentenced to prison, probation, fines or restitution. A judge will consider factors like the crime committed, the accused’s previous record, the need to deter future crimes and retribution in order to determine a sentence.
In addition to criminal penalties, a felony conviction can prevent people from obtaining certain professional licenses and it can limit access to jobs, housing and educational opportunities. Nationwide, a hodgepodge of state and federal policies keep millions of people with felony convictions from voting and prevent them from having access to health insurance and social security benefits.