In a criminal case, the burden of proof is on the prosecution. The defendant is viewed as innocent until they are legally proven to be guilty. This means that the argument of the prosecution will need to be strong enough that it convinces the court or jury beyond reasonable doubt. Once the jury deliberates, they will return with a verdict.
If the defendant is found not guilty, which is an acquittal, they will then be released. Under the countries double jeopardy law, they cannot be tried again for that crime. Finding a suspect not guilty does not necessarily mean that the jury believed they were innocent, but that there was not enough evidence to believe beyond all reasonable doubt that they committed the crime. If the jury does find that there was enough evidence to believe the suspect committed the crime beyond all reasonable doubt, a guilty verdict will be given. A suspect who is charged for multiple offenses can be found guilty on some and not guilty on others. Following the verdict will be the sentencing.
For those who are found guilty, there may still be options even after the verdict is given. You can appeal the decision but in order to successfully do so, you will need to show that there was a lack of evidence for the verdict or that mistakes were made in the case that could have harmed your case. Rather than having a completely new trial take place, the information from the former trial will be evaluated. If you have been convicted of a misdemeanor you will need to file the Notice of Appeal within 30 days from the judgment or order and for a felony the Notice of Appeal-Felony should be filed within 60 days. Appealing a case is a difficult thing to do so it should be done with the representation of a Ventura, CA criminal defense attorney.