Do citations go on your criminal history if you never go to trial?
Full Question:
Answer:
Generally, when a person is found guilty and sentenced on a criminal charge, it is considered a conviction. A trial is not always necessary in order for a person to be convicted, an informal hearing in front of a judge or magistrate is sometimes used to determine the outcome of a minor criminal charge.
In some cases, the court will allow a deferred or withheld adjudication. Withheld adjudication generally refers to a decision by a judge to put a person on probation without an adjudication of guilt. It means a person is not found guilty legally by the court. If the person successfully completes the terms of probation and has no subsequent offenses, no further action with be taken on the case and the offense for which adjudication was withheld is typically not considered a prior conviction. If the person does not complete the terms of probation, a finding of guilty may be entered and the person may be sentenced according to the punishments defined for the offense.
When charges are dismissed, the person is not found guilty, so there is no conviction. However, records of the charges may still exist in official records. I suggest you call the clerk of courts where the charges were heard to verify the status of the cases.