What is required to convict a person of a crime?

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asked Jul 16, 2020 in Law Enforcement/Police by Sstsweat (300 points)
What is required to convict a person of a crime?

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answered Jul 16, 2020 by Shelde (49,390 points)
To convict a person of committing a crime the court and state needs to have sufficient evidence that the person committed a crime.

For example if someone robbed a bank or a store or shoplifted and there was just video evidence that clearly showed the person committing the crime then that would be enough evidence for the court to convict the person of the crime.

If the crime occurred off camera and there was no one around then they need to find enough evidence such as fingerprints, blood, blood on the persons clothes etc to be able to convict that person.

It can be hard to convict a person of a crime on hearsay because some people have been sent to prison on hearsay.

They need enough evidence to convict that person or the case can get thrown out of court.

Another example is if someone used gasoline to set fire to a house or other building then they could use the smell of gasoline on that persons clothes to use as evidence in court.

They would also need to prove that they did it though and basically have a lot of people saying they were around at the time of the fire.

Or they need to be caught by the police acting suspicious around the area and then have gasoline on their clothes or skin.

In a court of law the substantial evidence means that they need or have enough evidence to convict someone of a crime.

For example if someone robbed a store or bank and they were caught on camera and it clearly showed the persons face or they had the evidence with them such as money etc when they were caught then that would be substantial evidence and enough to convict a person.

The substantial evidence basically means that have a lot of evidence to go through with a conviction of the person for the crime.

In a court of law they don't always need substantial evidence to convict someone of a crime especially if the crime was a misdemeanor.

However if the crime was a bank robbery, murder or something more serious then they usually need substantial evidence to convict the person or people of the crime.

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