body: In England and Wales, a court can impose an absolute discharge if it concludes that 'it is inexpedient to inflict punishment'. The power to do this is granted by [s12(1) Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000](http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/6/section/12).
  
  
  Section 14(1) of the Act provides that—
  
  
  
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  > ... a conviction of an offence for which an order is made under section 12 above discharging the offender absolutely or conditionally **shall be deemed not to be a conviction for any purpose** other than the purposes of the proceedings in which the order is made ...
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  However, the [Crown Prosecution Service's guide to sentencing](https://www.cps.gov.uk/victims_witnesses/going_to_court/sentencing.html) says this:
  
  
  
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  > Absolute discharge - no further action is taken, since either the offence was very minor, or the court considers that the experience has been enough of a deterrent. **The offender will receive a criminal record**.
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  (emphasis mine in both extracts)
  
  
  If a person receives an absolute discharge and also a criminal record, surely this is treating the discharge as a conviction, which appears to fly in the face of s14(1) above.
  
  
  Does an absolute discharge result in a criminal record and, if so, how is this squared with s14(1) of the 2000 Act?
  
  
  
title: Does an absolute discharge result in a criminal record?