innocent

Innocent means not guilty or free from legal or moral culpability. An innocent person is not responsible for the act, event, or offense alleged against them and is presumed to have acted in good faith, without knowledge of wrongdoing, or other inculpatory conditions. The term may also describe someone unaware of a material fact relevant to a transaction or occurrence.

In criminal law, every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The prosecution bears the burden of producing sufficient evidence to overcome this presumption.

[Last reviewed in October of 2025 by the Wex Definitions Team]

Wex

• THE LEGAL PROCESS
• criminal law
• criminal procedure
• wex definitions
• criminal law and procedure