Courtroom evidence includes admissible evidence, such as character, exculpatory, defendant, circumstantial, and demonstrative evidence. Character tests cannot prove a person’s actions, while circumstantial evidence supports claims indirectly. Demonstrative evidence includes visual aids to help explain a crime scene.
Courtroom evidence typically includes a wide range of different types of admissible evidence that a presiding judge in a civil or criminal case has admitted as evidence for a particular trial. Admissible evidence usually governs the types of evidence that may be admitted as evidence for a trial, but may be rejected by a judge. Also, just because the evidence is admissible doesn’t mean it will definitely be allowed and used in the trial. Some common examples of types of evidence in court include character evidence, exculpatory evidence, incriminating evidence, circumstantial evidence, and demonstrative evidence.
Character tests refer to different types of tests that indicate or demonstrate certain character qualities of a person involved in a process. This type of evidence in court is often used to indicate that a person is reliable or unreliable and to this end is commonly used to discredit a witness. Typically, however, character tests cannot be used to show that a person acted on the character demonstrated in such tests. So the character test that indicates that a person may have lenient views about theft cannot usually be used to indicate that she has committed theft.
Exculpatory evidence is a type of court evidence used to attempt to prove or support a person’s innocence during a legal hearing. This type of evidence is typically used to prove that a defendant had no motive or demonstrated no intent to commit a criminal act. Defendant evidence, on the other hand, is evidence that points to a person’s guilt or involvement in a crime and is usually used to damage a defendant’s claims. Circumstantial evidence is a type of evidence that does not directly prove that a person has committed a crime, but serves to provide support in a more tangential way.
For example, a defendant’s fingerprints at a crime scene do not directly indicate that the person committed a crime, but by establishing that the defendant was present, it helps support the prosecution’s claims. While this type of court evidence may be considered weaker than direct evidence, which directly points to a person’s involvement in a crime, circumstantial court evidence is often used in criminal and civil cases. Additional corroborating evidence, which is evidence that supports other evidence, is typically used to strengthen the circumstantial evidence in a case.
Demonstrative evidence is a type of evidence in court which is not direct evidence or circumstantial evidence gathered at the crime scene but is used to prove an idea or illustrate a point. This type of evidence includes elements such as visual aids, graphics, crime scene images, and computer recreations to help a judge and jury better understand the nature of a crime or crime scene. The demonstrative evidence should generally be helpful, but not serve to sway the jury or otherwise promote an agenda other than to help explain things.
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