When, in a criminal court, a defendant is found "not guilty," is the court saying with certainty that he or she is innocent? Explain.

Question

Ariel

Social Studies

5 May, 11:01

When, in a criminal court, a defendant is found "not guilty," is the court saying with certainty that he or she is innocent? Explain.

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Answers (1)

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Alani Boyer · Answer 1

No

Explanation:

Not guilty does not mean automatically innocent.

One who is innocent is almost certainly not guilty but one who is found not guilty is might not be innocent.

Under the American justice system, a defendant is presumed innocent till his guilt is proven beyond any reasonable doubt.

The innocent/guilty verdict depends in most cases on the given evidence. If a person is indeed guilty but there is no enough evidence to prove his guilt, he might be proven innocent because of lack of evidence to prove his guilt.