Evidence/fr

Les preuves

Les règles de preuve sont créées pour aider à la recherche de la vérité et de promouvoir un processus équitable pour les deux parties. Les règles de preuve sont très importantes dans les systèmes de « common law » qui conservent le jury, car on pense que ces règles assurent que le jury accorde une importance appropriée aux différentes types de preuves. Certaines des règles ont un effet dissuasif contre l'inconduite par la police ou le procureur, et améliorent l'administration de la justice. Enfin, d'autres règles, telles que les règles du privilège, visent à influer le comportement en dehors du tribunal. Les preuves devraient être Significatives et pertinentes.

Certains éléments de preuve, même si essentiels, pertinents, et non préjudiciables, pourront encore être irrecevables si les preuves ont été obtenues de manière illégale.

Types de preuves

• Electronic Surveillance
• Expert and Forensic Evidence
  • Ballistics
  • DNA
  • Fingerprints
  • Hair
  • GPS Evidence
  • Handwriting Analysis
  • Lie Detectors
  • Toolmarks

• Identification Evidence
  • Showups, Lineups, and Photo Arrays
  • Eyewitness Misidentification
• Privilege
  • Attorney-Client Privilege
  • Journalist-Source Privilege
  • Physician-Patient Privilege
  • Priest-Penitent Privilege
  • Privilege Against Self-Incrimination
  • Marital Confidences and Spousal Testimonial Privileges

• Similar Facts Evidence
  • Acts that go to honesty
  • Criminal Records
  • Prior Bad Acts
• Testimonial Evidence
  • Competency to Testify
  • Confessions
  • Depositions
  • Expert Witnesses
  • Hearsay
  • Reputation and Opinion
  • Similar Facts Evidence

Background

There are various types of evidence that a defense attorney will encounter during a case:

• Direct evidence is evidence which, if true, proves a relevant fact conclusively. For example, eyewitness testimony is a type of direct evidence. Direct evidence is not necessarily more reliable than any other kind of evidence. See, Eyewitness Misidentification. Direct evidence establishes a material fact without the need for any inferences to be drawn by the trier of fact.
• Circumstantial evidence is evidence which indirectly, through inference, aids the trier of fact in inferring the existence of a fact in issue. For example, fingerprints or DNA found at the scene would be circumstantial evidence. Circumstantial evidence can be more reliable than direct evidence.
• Judicial notice is evidence that the court declares is proven through authority or common knowledge.
• Real evidence is some actual physical item involved in the case. For example, the murder weapon is real evidence.
• Demonstrative evidence is a depiction, prepared for trial, that represents an item involved in the case. Following are some examples of demonstrative evidence: photo of the murder weapon, surveillance camera footage, computer simulations, diagrams, maps, x-rays, videotape, illustrations or any other item specifically created for trial.

A criminal defense attorney may object to real or demonstrative evidence on the following grounds:

1. No identifying witness
2. Gaps in chain of custody
3. Opportunity for tampering or contamination occured
4. Item is not a true or accurate depiction of what it purports to be.

Evidence Codes

• United States Federal Rules of Evidence