Conviction has two primary meanings:
- In law, a conviction is the official decision by a court that a person is guilty of a crime. It happens through a guilty plea accepted by the court, a verdict by a jury, or a judgment by a judge. The court then usually imposes a sentence as punishment. A conviction results in a criminal record and can affect areas like employment, housing, and travel. The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal, meaning the person is found not guilty.
- More generally, conviction means a strong belief or persuasion that something is true. It is the feeling of being firmly convinced about an opinion or principle.
So, conviction can refer to either a legal judgment of guilt or a firmly held belief or certainty about something. These dual meanings are common in everyday use and law contexts. For example, "He has three prior convictions" refers to criminal records, while "She spoke with conviction" refers to strong belief or confidence. The legal sense involves a judicial process and finding of guilt, while the general sense involves personal certainty or strong persuasion.
