Proof Beyond Reasonable Doubts

Abstract

Proof beyond reasonable doubt has not been defined. Prof. Wigmore in his classic Treatise on Evidence highlights the difficulties in ascertaining how convinced one must be to become convinced beyond a reasonable doubt. He says that “the truth is that no one has invented or discovered a mode of measurement for the intensity of human belief. Hence, there can be as yet no successful method of communicating intelligibly a sound method of self-analysis for one’s belief. And yet the choice of the standard of proof makes the difference.” The standard that must be met by the prosecution's evidence in a criminal prosecution: that no other logical explanation can be derived from the facts except that the defendant committed the crime, thereby overcoming the presumption that a person is innocent until proven guilty.