QandAs: Legal

What is a Conviction?

Answer:
A conviction is a legal finding of guilt in

a criminal trial. A defendant may stand accused of a crime before and during a trial, but a jury or judge's final judgement converts that accusation into a conviction.

There are a number of legal procedures which must be followed in order for prosecutors to obtain a true conviction. A person of interest in a purported crime must first be developed as a suspect. The designation of "suspect" does not equal guilt in the legal system, however. A suspect can be detained and questioned by authorities under controlled circumstances, but a prosecutor must have enough tangible evidence that a crime has been committed and the suspect can be connected to that crime. Getting a conviction is the final goal of a prosecutor, but first he or she must prove to a grand jury or judge there are sufficient grounds to even have a criminal trial.

A criminal trial provides equal opportunity for both the prosecutor and defense attorneys to present their arguments before an impartial jury. The prosecution must prove a number of things in order to win a conviction. The defendant's actions must actually violate a current law, for instance. The evidence should connect the defendant in the courtroom directly or circumstantially to the scene of the crime. There should be no room for what is known as "reasonable doubt". A defense attorney can present an alternative explanation for seemingly incriminating evidence, and the argument could suggest a different party committed the crime.

Once a case is presented to the jury, a judge may provide legal definitions of the crime(s) involved and the criteria that must be met for varying degrees of crime. Prosecutors may work out plea arrangements with defendants in order to get a guaranteed conviction on lesser charges, or the jury may find the defendant guilty as charged. A judge usually renders the final decision that legally convicts a guilty party. A conviction can be appealed to a higher appellate court, but generally a conviction will stand unless serious procedural mistakes were made by the judge, jury or prosecutor during the original criminal trial.


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