Acquit vs. Pardon — What's the Difference?

Judicial conclusion of a criminal trial.

May be influenced by political or personal considerations.

Based on the principle of 'innocent until proven guilty'.

An act of clemency from a leader.

End of legal proceedings without conviction.

Often involves a restoration of rights.

To declare someone not guilty of a crime.

Can follow after a conviction.

Involves a formal verdict.

To officially forgive someone for their crimes.

(Law) To find not guilty of a criminal offense.

A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the jurisdiction.Pardons can be granted in many countries when individuals are deemed to have demonstrated that they have "paid their debt to society", or are otherwise considered to be deserving of them.

To conduct (oneself) in a specified manner

The action of forgiving or being forgiven for an error or offence

(Archaic) To release or discharge from an obligation, such as a debt.

Forgive or excuse (a person, error, or offence)

(Obsolete) To repay.

A request to a speaker to repeat something because one did not hear or understand it

(transitive) To declare or find innocent or not guilty.

To release (a person) from punishment or disfavor for wrongdoing or a fault

(transitive) To discharge (for example, a claim or debt); to clear off, to pay off; to fulfil.

To allow (an offense or fault) to pass without punishment or disfavor.

(transitive) Followed by of (and formerly by from): to discharge, release, or set free from a burden, duty, liability, or obligation, or from an accusation or charge.

To make courteous allowance for; excuse

(reflexive) To bear or conduct oneself; to perform one's part.

The act of pardoning.

(reflexive) To clear oneself.

Exemption of a convicted person from the penalties of an offense or crime by the power of the executor of the laws.

Past participle of acquit.

An official document or warrant declaring such an exemption.

To release, to rescue, to set free.

Allowance or forgiveness for an offense or a discourtesy

To pay for; to atone for.

Roman Catholic Church An indulgence.

Acquitted; set free; rid of.

Forgiveness for an offence.

To discharge, as a claim or debt; to clear off; to pay off; to requite.

(legal) An order that releases a convicted criminal without further punishment, prevents future punishment, or (in some jurisdictions) removes an offence from a person's criminal record, as if it had never been committed.

To pay for; to atone for.

(transitive) To forgive (a person).

To set free, release or discharge from an obligation, duty, liability, burden, or from an accusation or charge; - now followed by of before the charge, formerly by from; as, the jury acquitted the prisoner; we acquit a man of evil intentions.

(transitive) To refrain from exacting as a penalty.

To clear one's self.

To grant an official pardon for a crime.

Pronounce not guilty of criminal charges;

Often used when someone does not understand what another person says.

Behave in a certain manner;

The act of pardoning; forgiveness, as of an offender, or of an offense; release from penalty; remission of punishment; absolution.

An official warrant of remission of penalty.

The state of being forgiven.

A release, by a sovereign, or officer having jurisdiction, from the penalties of an offense, being distinguished from amnesty, which is a general obliteration and canceling of a particular line of past offenses.

To absolve from the consequences of a fault or the punishment of crime; to free from penalty; - applied to the offender.

To remit the penalty of; to suffer to pass without punishment; to forgive; - applied to offenses.

To refrain from exacting as a penalty.

To give leave (of departure) to.

The act of excusing a mistake or offense

A warrant granting release from punishment for an offense

The formal act of liberating someone

Accept an excuse for;

Grant a pardon to;

To acquit is to declare someone not guilty of the charges against them in a court of law.

An acquittal is a judicial decision based on evidence indicating innocence, whereas a pardon is an executive act of forgiveness regardless of guilt.

Pardons can be issued by a president or a governor, depending on the jurisdiction and nature of the crime.

A pardon forgives an individual for their crime and may eliminate some of the consequences of their conviction.

Evidence is crucial in acquittals but less so in pardons, which are not primarily based on the crime’s factual basis.

Yes, a pardon does not necessarily expunge the crime from one’s criminal record; it primarily forgives and may restore rights.

The frequency of pardons varies widely by jurisdiction and the policies of the executive authority.

Common reasons include mercy, correcting judicial errors, and promoting fairness or public interest.

A pardon absolves from most legal penalties but does not necessarily expunge the conviction.

Generally, once granted, a pardon cannot be revoked.

Legally, an acquittal means the prosecution did not prove its case; it implies innocence in the context of the crime charged.

No, once acquitted, a person cannot be tried again for the same crime due to the principle of double jeopardy.

An acquittal can remove barriers to employment that a conviction might have posed.

No, they are specific to criminal cases; civil cases involve different legal remedies and consequences.

Families can influence pardon decisions through petitions and by demonstrating the individual’s rehabilitation.