What Is the Difference Between a Charge and a Conviction?
Question by ali: What is the difference between a charge and a conviction?
Last night, my friend was “charged” with marijuana possession and he was a juvenile. He has to go to court sometime. Is this a conviction? Meaning it will show on his records/job applications/etc.? Or is it a charge that will be erased when he turns 18?
Best answer:
Answer by Reagan ’12
Being charged means you have the chance of being convicted but an investigation/court hearing is to follow to prove whether you are innocent or guilty of the crime. Convicted means that you are found guilty of the crime. Typically it can be expunged from juvenile record when turning 18, but it depends on number of offenses and what the judge rules, etc. If your friend has a court date, then he has only been charged, the court hearing will determine whether he is convicted or not.
Answer by WC
A charge is just an accusation with enough evidence to have you charged and arrested for an offense. When you are tried, if the is enough hard evidence against you, you are then convicted, or declared to have committed the crime which you were accused.You now have a criminal record.
Charged is just the beginning, it does not mean he is automatically convicted.
No, it is not a conviction.
That requires going to court and being found guilty or pleading guilty.
no conviction is when you have been found guilty of what you were charged with. Your juvenile record can be sealed, but you have to hire a lawyer to do it.
like other have said but for the 18 part if he is charged as a juvenile and finishes the programs the record will be erased from public record when he turns 18
when they charge someone they charge them for suspension. before they can convict them they have to have solid proof to take them to court.
A “charge” means the police said you did something wrong. This is not a conviction; it means you must stand trial or cut a deal with the prosecutor. A “conviction” means either that (1) you pleaded guilty, or (2) a jury found that you were guilty. Your friend has not been convicted yet. He now must respond to the charge (plead guilty or not guilty) and, if he pleads not guilty, go to trial. I suspect that your friend is, in fact, guilty, since the police generally do not charge someone with marijuana possession unless they have found marijuana. Some jurisdictions are rough on marijuana possession, most aren’t. The best thing your friend can do is to get a lawyer, and cut a deal with the prosecutor. A juvenile who is a first-time offender can generally get off the hook by cutting a “diversion” deal with the prosecutor — he pleads guilty, and is required to go into a drug rehab program. If he successfully completes the program, the conviction is expunged from his record.
A charge is an accusation. A conviction means that you have been found guilty of that accusation.