Getting convicted of a federal crime is a serious matter that can have lasting consequences. A conviction can affect your reputation, career, and freedom. It can also impact your family and social relationships, especially if children are exposed to the stigma of being related to a convicted person. And, it can cause financial hardship in addition to legal fees and fines.
Conviction is the entry of a plea or verdict of guilt to one or more counts in an accusatory instrument or felony complaint, or to a plea to a charge or accusatory instrument. The conviction is entered by a judge after weighing the evidence and determining that the facts of the case meet the legal standard for the charged crime. This standard is beyond a reasonable doubt, meaning that the evidence must be so strong that no reasonable skeptical condition of mind could exist.
If you are convicted of a crime, the court will determine your punishment, which may be immediate or delayed. The prosecution will present its case to the jury or, if you choose to go to trial, the judge alone. These are the events that you see on Law and Order, where the prosecutor presents its case and your defense lawyer counters with evidence that bolsters your innocence.
A convicted person will have to deal with collateral consequences like the loss of professional licenses or the inability to open bank accounts. This will make it difficult to maintain stable employment and can cause a cycle of poverty, which in turn can have adverse effects on mental health.
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