Actual innocence

Standard of review in legal cases Criminal defenses Part of the common law series Actual innocenceImmunityMental disorder (Insanity)Diminished responsibilityIntoxicationInfancyAutomatismAlibiConsentMistakeDuressAgeNecessityPardonPoliticalProvocationSelf-defenseSanctuaryStatute of limitationsFalse confessionEntrapment See also Criminal law and procedure Other common law areas CriminalContractTortPropertywillsTrustsEstatesEvidence Portals Law portal vte Actual innocence is a special standard of review in legal cases to prove that a charged defendant did not commit the crimes that they were accused of, which is often applied by appellate courts to prevent a miscarriage of justice. Overview of claims of "actual innocence" In its most literal sense, "actual innocence"—more properly understood as a claim that the prosecution has failed to prove factual guilt beyond a reasonable doubt—is a very commonly raised defense to a crime. Claims of actual innocence may involve disputing that any crime occurred at all, or that the accused was the perpetrator of the criminal act. Arguably, even affirmative defenses such as "self-defense", insanity, or "mistake of fact" qualify as "actual innocen