Reasonable doubt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Beyond a reasonable doubt is the standard required by the prosecution in most criminal cases within an adversarial system. This means that the proposition being presented by the government must be proven to the extent that there is no "reasonable doubt" in the mind of a reasonable person that the defendant is guilty. There can still be a doubt, but only to the extent that it would not affect a "reasonable person's" belief that the defendant is guilty. If the doubt that is raised does affect a "reasonable person's" belief that the defendant is guilty, the jury is not satisfied beyond a "reasonable doubt". The precise meaning of words such as "reasonable" and "doubt" are usually defined within jurisprudence of the applicable country.
The only burden or proof beyond reasonable doubt is shadow of a doubt, reserved for death penalty cases. In this context it means that there can be no doubt whatsoever in a jurors mind that the defendant is guilty of the crime charged with.