A criminal case reaches its formal climax when guilt is established. A conviction is the court’s official declaration that the defendant is guilty of a charged offense, entered after a plea or a finding at trial.

Convictions trigger sentencing and create a criminal record with lasting collateral consequences for employment, licensing, and civil rights. Appeals and post-conviction remedies may challenge the result, but until overturned the conviction stands as the legal determination of guilt.

The conviction must rest on a knowing plea or on proof meeting the applicable standard. Clerks enter the judgment, and the record follows the defendant through future interactions with the justice system. Expungement or sealing may be available later under limited statutory conditions.

• Official finding or admission of criminal guilt
• Follows plea or trial verdict
• Leads to sentencing and a criminal record
• Subject to appeal and limited later relief