When you’ve gotten into trouble with the law, the best thing you can do for yourself is work to develop a strong defense. In most kinds of criminal cases, it has to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that you participated in a crime. If you can create enough doubt, then the case should move in your favor.
Reasonable doubt is an important phrase to understand because it’s a legal standard. If you are going to go through a criminal trial, the prosecution has to show that there is no reason that a typical person would consider you innocent. Reasonable doubt, therefore, is any doubt that is based upon reason or common sense, not just speculation.
For example, your case could go to court, but if there is no strong evidence against you, then the jury may not feel that they are able to agree, beyond reasonable doubt, that you are guilty of the crime. There may simply not be enough evidence to convict you.
When jurors look at evidence, they have to consider the quality of that evidence. DNA matches, surveillance videos and first-hand accounts help eliminate doubt, but it’s still important for jurors to remember that witnesses could lie or be incorrect about what they saw, that photographs and videos can be manipulated and even that DNA results aren’t always right.
Your attorney will work diligently to produce doubt in your case so that you have a better chance of walking away without a conviction. Our site has more information on this important legal standard in the courts.
