Editing Conviction (section)

{{Short description|Legal verdict}}
{{distinguish|indictment|convection}}
{{Redirect|Convicted|other uses|Convicted (disambiguation)|and|Conviction (disambiguation)}}
{{one source|date=April 2019}}
{{Criminal procedure (trial)}}
In [[law]], a '''conviction''' is the determination by a [[court of law]] that  a [[defendant]] is [[Guilty (law)|guilt]]y of a [[crime]].<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Garner |editor-first=Bryan A. |date=2019 |title=Black's law dictionary |edition=11th |publisher=West Group |location=St. Paul, Minn. }}</ref> A conviction may follow a guilty [[plea]] that is accepted by the court, a [[jury trial]] in which a [[verdict]] of guilty is delivered, or a [[trial by judge]] in which the defendant is found guilty.

The opposite of a conviction is an [[acquittal]] (that is, "not guilty"). In [[Scotland]], there can also be a verdict of "[[not proven]]", which is considered an acquittal. Sometimes, despite a defendant being found guilty, the court may order that the defendant not be convicted. This is known as a [[Discharge (sentence)|discharge]] and is used in countries including England, Wales, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

In any [[criminal justice]] system, innocent people are sometimes convicted. [[Appeal]] mechanisms and [[post conviction]] relief procedures may help to address this issue to some extent. An error leading to the conviction of an innocent person is known as a [[miscarriage of justice]]. In some judicial systems, the prosecution may appeal acquittals; while in others, this is prohibited under [[double jeopardy]] protections.

After a defendant is convicted, the court determines the appropriate [[Sentence (law)|sentence]] as a [[punishment]]. In addition to the sentence, a conviction can also have other consequences, known as [[collateral consequences of criminal charges]]. These can include impacts on employment, housing, the right to travel to other countries, and other areas of an individual's life.

A person's history of convictions is known as their [[antecedent (law)|antecedent]]s or "previous" in the United Kingdom and "priors" in the United States and Australia.