When evidence is presented to the court, which can mean the judge, jury, or both, it is done so in an attempt to support the claims or arguments made by the defense or prosecution. But before evidence can become admissible evidence, it must meet certain standards. Such standards are relevance to the case and reliability of the evidence.
In order for evidence to be relevant, it must prove or disprove a claim or fact that is brought to the attention of the court. However, it may be difficult to admit such evidence in court if laws or public policies prevent the disclosure of such information. These laws or policies are often used by the opposing counsel to suppress evidence that may hurt their defense or prosecution. Relevant evidence includes actual items that were crucial in the defendant’s execution of the crime as well as testimonies from witnesses who were present during the crime and experts whose field of expertise is involved. Physical evidence that becomes admissible in court must be proven to be authentic and under a chain of custody, which protects its integrity from any kind of compromise. Which leads to the second standard of admissible evidence, reliability. The evidence must be proven to come from a trustworthy source. This also means that the evidence must not be compromised in order for the court to accept it. If it is compromised or tainted, evidence may not be admissible into court.
Standards for admissible evidence ensure that investigations are done in a manner that carefully handles and records evidence that are necessary for the conviction or acquittal of the defendant.
Brainz.org
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