Conviction - Definition - Law Dictionary Home Dictionary Definition conviction

Definition :

Conviction, the act of a legal tribunal adjudging a person guilty of a criminal offence. Thus a person will have been 'convicted' even though no punishment follows, e.g., where he is let out on his own recognizances to come up for judgment when called on, R. v. Blaby, (1894) 2 QB 170. As to the powers of justices to convict summarily, see the Summary Jurisdiction Acts of 1848 and 1879, amended by the Criminal Justice Administration Act, 1914, (English) Criminal Justice Act, 1925, and the Summary Jurisdiction Rules of 1886. Schedule to (English) Summary Jurisdiction Rules, 1915, and Summary Jurisdiction Rules,1932, 1933. Consult Paley on Summary Convictions.

When a person previously convicted is tried for a subsequent offence, proof of his previous con-viction cannot be given until after a finding of guilty of such subsequent offence, unless evidence of his good character be given.-(English) Previous Conviction Act, 1836, (6 & 7 Wm. 4, c. 111); Larceny Act,1861, s. 116. A previous conviction is proved by producing a record or extract of it, and by giving proof of the identity of the person against whom the previous conviction is sought to be proved with the person appearing in the record or extract of conviction to have been convicted. (English) Prevention of Crimes Act, 1871 (34 & 35 Vict. c. 112), s. 18. And see PREVIOUS CONVICTION; PROBATION.