Infamy arises from crime, not from its punishment.

Explanation

The disgrace of a criminal conviction attaches to the crime itself, not to the penalty imposed — a man is infamous because he committed the offense, not because the court punished him for it.

Where this applies

• A convicted embezzler's reputation is destroyed by the act of stealing, not by the jail sentence that followed — even if the sentence were reduced, the infamy remains.
• A politician caught taking bribes is disgraced because of the bribery itself, not because of whether the court sentences him to prison or probation.
• A doctor who commits malpractice through gross negligence loses her reputation because of what she did, not because of the fine the medical board imposed.