When a criminal defendant is found "not guilty" in a court of law, it means that the prosecution failed to prove the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. In such cases, the defendant is acquitted of the charges, and they are considered legally innocent of the alleged crime.
Here are some key points to understand about what happens when a criminal is found not guilty:
Acquittal: The formal verdict given by the judge or jury is "not guilty." This verdict signifies that the prosecution did not meet its burden of proving the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. As a result, the defendant is not held criminally responsible for the alleged offense.
Double Jeopardy: The principle of double jeopardy protects individuals from being tried for the same crime more than once. If a defendant is acquitted, they cannot be retried for the same offense based on the same set of facts.
Presumption of Innocence: In most legal systems, including the United States, defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. This means that the burden of proof lies with the prosecution, and the defendant does not have to prove their innocence.
Release from Custody: If the defendant was in custody during the trial, they will be released following the verdict of not guilty. In some cases, they may have been held on bail before the trial, and if so, the bail will be discharged, and any collateral will be returned.
Criminal Record: In general, being found not guilty means that the defendant will not have a criminal conviction on their record for that particular charge. However, it's essential to be aware that records of the arrest and trial might still exist, and they could potentially be accessible through background checks.
Civil Liability: It's important to note that an acquittal in a criminal trial does not prevent a separate civil lawsuit related to the same incident. In civil cases, the burden of proof is typically lower (often referred to as "preponderance of the evidence" rather than "beyond a reasonable doubt").
Appeals: If either the prosecution or the defense believes there were errors during the trial that affected the outcome, they may have the option to appeal the verdict. An appeal seeks to have a higher court review the case to determine if any legal errors occurred, not to retry the case.
It's crucial to remember that a not guilty verdict does not necessarily mean the defendant is innocent in an absolute sense. It merely means that the evidence presented during the trial was not sufficient to meet the high standard of "beyond a reasonable doubt" required in criminal cases.