How is evidence admissibility determined?

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Admissibility of evidence rules are the standard for determining whether or not evidence will be considered in a court case. Evidence laws determine what testimony, physical evidence, or artifacts or documents may be shown during trial. There are several ways to determine the admissibility of a piece of evidence, but most fall into one of two factors.

The first factor for the admissibility of evidence is whether or not the evidence is relevant to the case. To determine relevance, the evidence must be shown to be essential to the facts of the case. It must help prove or disprove a fact or theory presented. For example, if a fingerprint left at a crime scene matches the suspect’s fingerprints, this would be allowed because it proves the suspect was at the crime scene. Something found at the crime scene, such as a food wrapper, that bears no direct relation to the suspect probably wouldn’t be allowed, unless it could be related to the case in some other way.

The second factor in the admissibility of evidence is whether the evidence is likely to cause more harm than good. This is a matter of balance. If the evidence is likely to cause unnecessary bias or confusion to jurors, it probably won’t be able to be shown. If the evidence can be considered misleading, or if it is a waste of time for the evidence to be presented, the judge may decide that it is unnecessary for the trial.

An example of misleading evidence would be circumstantial evidence. If the suspect’s fingerprints were at the crime scene, it would appear that the suspect was at the scene, most likely at the time of the crime. However, if the crime scene were a place frequented by the suspect, the fingerprints would likely be judged misleading, because prints could have been left at any time. For circumstantial evidence to be permitted, it must be sufficient to prove that the suspect committed the crime.

The admissibility of evidence rules prohibit certain types of evidence, such as hearsay. If a witness takes the floor and testifies about what someone else has said about the case, that is hearsay. For example, if a woman is sitting in a laundromat and overhears two men talking about how their friend committed a crime, she cannot testify at trial.

Although most evidence is presented before the trial begins, some evidence will be admissible during the trial if essential to the case. It is up to the judge hearing the case to assess what evidence can be used. Judges are very familiar with the admissibility of evidence and can determine what evidence will help jurors reach a decision and what evidence will confuse or mislead them, making it more difficult for them to reach a fair and impartial verdict.

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