A conviction is a final judgment that sustains the legal and factual allegations of a criminal charge. A conviction can be entered following a guilty plea, a verdict of guilt from a jury trial or a finding of guilt by a judge. For the purposes of a background check, a conviction is considered public information. A conviction can be reversed or expunged through a pardon, annulment, certificate of rehabilitation or similar procedures.
The direct consequences of a conviction can include fines, jail time and probation. But a conviction can also have lasting, collateral effects that impact people’s ability to access employment, housing and other basic life needs.
Collateral consequences can make it harder to reintegrate into society after incarceration, especially for people with minor convictions. For example, a conviction can raise red flags during the loan approval process, and many public housing programs deny assistance to individuals with criminal records. Certain convictions can also lead to the loss of professional licenses that are necessary to work in industries like healthcare, finance and law.
Wrongful convictions are one of the most common causes of long-term harm. They can result from a number of factors, including inaccurate eyewitness identifications, misconduct by police officers and false or misleading forensic evidence. Counties, states and the federal government have different rules about preserving and making available to incarcerated individuals testing that could prove innocence, but even if testing does confirm innocence, prosecutors often refuse to re-examine the case and drop charges.
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