Innocent essentially means not guilty. Specifically, it refers to an individual who is not responsible for the occurrence, event, or even crime that they are accused of. It can also refer to an individual who lacks knowledge of a particular fact that is important, or material, to the relevant event itself.
Essentially, an innocent individual is someone who is acting in good faith and lacks knowledge of objections, defects, or other inculpatory conditions.
During the trial itself, the individual who is charged with the crime and is being prosecuted for is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. In other words, the individual is assumed to be innocent until proven guilty.
[Last updated in June of 2020 by the Wex Definitions Team]