Standards of proof for conviction · as in force on May 31, 2026
§ 70.20 Standards of proof for conviction.
No conviction of an offense by verdict is valid unless based upon trial evidence which is legally sufficient and which establishes beyond a reasonable doubt every element of such offense and the defendant's commission thereof.
A conviction by verdict is valid only if the trial evidence is legally sufficient and proves beyond a reasonable doubt every element of the offense and the defendant's commission of it. ★
Marked in the text: penalties, time limits, sums of money. Editorial emphasis added by this edition; it does not appear in the statute as enacted.
This provision appears in Volume 1 — The Court Officer in Plain English; Volume 2 — The Court Officer: Criminal Procedure Law; Volume 2 — Your Career: Criminal Procedure in Plain English.