Maine Presumption of Innocence; Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt is a legal principle that applies to criminal proceedings in the state of Maine. Under this principle, a defendant in a criminal case must be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This legal principle is based on the notion that it is better for a few guilty people to go unpunished than for an innocent person to be wrongly convicted. The burden of proof is placed upon the prosecution, who must prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. This legal principle applies to all criminal proceedings in Maine, including juvenile proceedings. There are two types of Maine Presumption of Innocence; Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: circumstantial evidence and direct evidence. Circumstantial evidence is evidence that implies the existence of a fact without actually proving it. Direct evidence is evidence that directly proves the truth of a fact. In order to meet its burden of proof, the prosecution must present sufficient evidence to support a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt. This means that the evidence must be of such a nature that no reasonable doubt exists as to the defendant’s guilt.