What is the legal term for someone being found not guilty?
Asked by: Ms. Wilhelmine Heathcote | Last update: December 3, 2025Score: 4.3/5 (66 votes)
Acquittal. A jury verdict that a criminal defendant is not guilty, or the finding of a judge that the evidence is insufficient to support a conviction. Active judge. A judge in the full-time service of the court.
What is it called when a person is found not guilty?
acquittal - Judgment that a criminal defendant has not been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
What is the word for being found not guilty?
synonyms: acquitted. clean-handed, guiltless, innocent. free from evil or guilt.
What is the word for find not guilty?
“Acquitted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acquitted.
What is the legal term for not admitting guilt?
A no-contest plea, also known as nolo contendere, is a legal option where the defendant neither disputes nor admits to the criminal charges. This type of plea allows the court to convict the defendant without the admission of guilt that accompanies a guilty plea.
My answer to "how do you defend someone you think is guilty"
What is the word for someone with no guilt?
remorseless. A person who is remorseless doesn't feel any guilt. If you're remorseless, you don't feel bad at all — even if you've done something terrible. When someone is remorseless, that person has no feeling of pity for people who have been hurt.
Can I sue after being found not guilty?
If you are accused of a crime and acquitted or otherwise found not guilty of the offense, you can still face a civil lawsuit for the same incident. The Double Jeopardy clause only protects you from subsequent criminal prosecution in the legal system.
What is the term for not guilty or innocent?
As noted, not guilty means you are not legally answerable for the crime, while an acquittal is a finding by a judge or jury that you are not guilty of the crime. Again, an acquittal does not always mean you are innocent; instead, it means the district attorney failed to prove your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
What is another word for acquitted?
Some common synonyms of acquit are absolve, exculpate, exonerate, and vindicate. While all these words mean "to free from a charge," acquit implies a formal decision in one's favor with respect to a definite charge.
What is the word for prove not guilty?
exonerated. Use the adjective exonerated to describe someone who's been proven innocent. A boy whose mother thinks he stole a bag of candy is exonerated when his teacher explains that he won the candy in a spelling contest. When a suspect is let off the hook, or freed from guilt, he is exonerated.
What is the one word substitution for declare someone not guilty?
acquitted. An acquitted defendant is off the hook. If you're on trial for a crime and you're found "not guilty," then you're acquitted and you can go free.
What word means "found innocent"?
absolve acquit clarify exonerate release.
Is there a difference between being found innocent and not guilty?
In short, "not guilty" is not the same as "innocent." Innocent means that a person did not commit the crime. Not guilty means that the prosecution could not prove "beyond a reasonable doubt" that a person committed the crime. Therefore, the court does not pronounce someone as “innocent” but rather “not guilty”.
What is the legal term innocent?
Innocent essentially means not guilty . Specifically, it refers to an individual who is not responsible for the occurrence, event, or even crime that they are accused of. It can also refer to an individual who lacks knowledge of a particular fact that is important, or material , to the relevant event itself.
What is it called when someone has no guilt?
Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is a mental health condition that can affect the way you think and interact with others and lead you to: Manipulate or deceive people. Exploit or take advantage of someone else for your own benefit. Disregard the law or the rights of other people. Feel no remorse for your actions.
Who is more powerful, a judge or a prosecutor?
Prosecutors are the most powerful officials in the American criminal justice system. The decisions they make, particularly the charging and plea-bargaining decisions, control the operation of the system and often predetermine the outcome of criminal cases.
What's another word for not guilty?
“Guiltless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guiltless. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.
What is the antonym of acquit convict?
Acquit means 'freed' the opposite being convict meaning 'declared guilty'. For example: He was a serial killer and was convicted for life.
What is the word for accused but not guilty?
Acquittal – A verdict of a jury, or a decision of a Judge, Sheriff or Justice of the Peace. It means that the accused person is not guilty or the case is not proven.
What is it called when someone is not found guilty?
An acquittal is a finding by a judge or jury that a defendant is not guilty of the charged crime. An acquittal does not necessarily mean the defendant is innocent in a criminal case. Instead, it means that the prosecutor failed to prove that the defendant was guilty “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
What is a word for without guilt?
synonyms: clean-handed, innocent. exculpatory. clearing of guilt or blame. absolved, clear, cleared, exculpated, exonerated, vindicated.
What do we call being found not guilty in court?
An acquittal occurs when the prosecution fails to meet its burden of proof. In other words, when they fail to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. This result signifies a complete rejection of the prosecution's case. An acquittal can be issued in one of two ways: Jury Verdict.
What happens if the defendant is found not guilty?
When a jury finds a defendant not guilty the trial is over and the defendant goes home. There is nothing the judge can do. There is no appeal or other action the prosecutor can take. The case is over.
Do you get paid for time served if found not guilty?
Unfortunately no, the individual is not entitled to payment for time served I'm afraid unless the court orders that or there is a local regulation about that.
What is the difference between acquittal and exonerated?
The process often involves appeals and can result from various circumstances like new DNA results unavailable during the original trial or misidentification errors uncovered after conviction. This is different from an acquittal; an acquittal happens within the context of original criminal proceedings.