Conviction is defined as the formal declaration that someone is guilty of a crime, and it is a decision that a judge makes in court. On the other side, charging is the accusation of a crime. While they may be quite confusing when you have no background in the law, it can be really simple to find the distinction between the two as long as you learn more about them. There is a small difference between the two, but you will be able to differentiate them once you know what both of them exactly mean.
Knowing the difference will help you out because h2 policies prohibit people from being considered hired in specific fields if he has been previously convicted of a crime. Thus, knowing what convicted means being and its difference from being charged will help you learn more about them and assist you in knowing what exactly happened and how it can affect your chances of getting hired.
Charged Vs. Convicted
The main difference between being charged and being convicted would be whether a person is guilty or not of a crime. Being convicted means someone is charged with misconduct. However, the moment someone is charged, then it simply means that there is enough evidence against the person to bring the case to court. However, it is actually not enough to bring him to court for that when someone is convicted.
Once a person is charged, the legal proceedings against the person will immediately begin. With enough evidence and witnesses to prove that the person committed the crime, the charged person will have to face the consequences of his actions. A formal accusation is what a charge is, and if a person is charged with any crime, they will be prevented from some prospective jobs later on.
When it comes to conviction, it is not enough to get a person to drag to court because being convicted simply means that there is not enough evidence and witnesses for you to be punished for the crime you are convicted of. Only when the accused is proven to be guilty will they be punished. Someone who has been convicted but was found not guilty may still be eligible for any type of employment in the future.
What is Charged?
Whether you have been accused or have been convicted of a crime is one of the questions that many employers put in their application forms. This is because companies are looking for people with a good record, and thus, you are required to answer with a yes or no to this type of question. Employers now require records of applicants to prove that they have never been charged with any type of crime in their life.
Companies make the most out of this screening technique because they do not like employees who have been criminals in the past. When a person gets charged with a crime, the court will determine if they are guilty or not. This only happens when there is enough evidence against them. When a person is charged, they will be punished for it. It is a type of formal accusation. When a person has been charged, they get certain restrictions for finding employment. Being charged is enough to get legal action against the person. Although the charge is not yet final until he is judged to be guilty.
What is Convicted?
On the other side, being convicted is when a person gets accused of misconduct. This also means that there is not enough evidence or witnesses to support the accusation against a person. There is no punishment for conviction unless the person is proven to be at fault or guilty about the accusations against him.
A person who has been convicted but has not been found guilty has no problems finding employment in the future. However, when a person has been found guilty of the allegations against him, a group of judges or a jury will have to sentence him for punishment.
It is important to note that a person that has been accused of a crime does not automatically equate with him being guilty and sentenced for it. Unless proven to be guilty, being convicted is not too much of a big deal.
Difference between Charged and Convicted
- When a person is proven guilty when he faces the court, he is charged with a crime. However, when a person is just being accused of something wrong in terms of his conduct, then he is being convicted.
- When a person is charged, it means that there are enough witnesses and pieces of evidence to prove his crime, while a convicted person means there is not enough evidence pointing to him to be at fault.
- There are no restrictions in terms of jobs for a convicted person unless he is proven guilty, while being charged bars you from specific job applications.
- A charged person will get his punishment, while a convicted person only gets punishment when proven to be guilty of accusations against him.
- A charge is a form of formal accusation, while conviction is considered as a formal seal of the sacred court of law.
Conclusion
Charges basically tell that someone has done a crime and that they can be guilty according to the evidence and the witnesses that have been collected. Meanwhile, a person who has been convicted is simply someone that is being accused of a crime without being sure that they are at fault.