- Joined
- May 9, 2009
- Messages
- 39,324
- Reaction score
- 117,350
<modsnip>
<modnsip>
from:
http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/presumption+of+innocence
<modnsip>
from:
http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/presumption+of+innocence
<bbm>Aside from the related requirement of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, the presumption of innocence is largely symbolic. The reality is that no defendant would face trial unless somebody—the crime victim, the prosecutor, a police officer—believed that the defendant was guilty of a crime. After the government has presented enough evidence to constitute Probable Cause to believe that the defendant has committed a crime, the accused need not be treated as if he or she was innocent of a crime, and the defendant may be jailed with the approval of the court.