Character evidence is a term used in the law of evidence to describe any testimony or document submitted for the purpose of proving that a person acted in a particular way on a particular occasion based on the character or disposition of that person. The Law of evidence governs the use of Testimony (eg oral or written statements such as an Affidavit) and exhibits (e Common law refers to law and the corresponding legal system developed through decisions of courts and similar tribunals rather than through legislative statutes or executive "Testify" redirects here For other uses see Testify (disambiguation and Testimony (disambiguation. Documentary evidence is any evidence introduced at a trial in the form of Documents. Physical evidence is any evidence introduced in a trialin the form of a physical object intended to prove a fact in issue based on its demonstrable physical characteristics Digital evidence or electronic evidence is any probative information stored or transmitted in Digital form that a party to a Court case may use at Exculpatory evidence is the evidence favorable to the Defendant in a criminal trial, which clears or tends to clear the defendant of Guilt. This article is about the legal concept For scientific evidence in pure science see Scientific evidence. Demonstrative evidence is evidence in the form of a Representation of an object Real evidence is a type of Physical evidence and consists of objects that were involved in a case or actually played a part in the incident or transaction in question Eyewitness identification evidence is the leading cause of Wrongful conviction in the United States Lies, on their own are not sufficient evidence of a crime However Lies may indicate that the defendant knows he is guilty and the prosecution may rely on the fact that the Relevance, in the Common law of evidence, is the tendency of a given item of evidence to prove or disprove one of the legal elements of the case or to have Probative Burden of proof (onus probandi is the obligation to prove Allegations which are presented in a Legal action. In Law, a foundation is sufficient preliminary evidence of the authenticity and relevance for the admission of material evidence in A subsequent remedial measure is a term used in the Law of evidence in the United States to describe an improvement or repair taken following an injury Habit evidence is a term used in the Law of evidence in the United States to describe any evidence submitted for the purpose of proving that a person In the law of Evidence, similar fact evidence (or the similar fact principle) establishes the conditions under which factual evidence of past misconduct of accused Authentication, in the Law of evidence, is the process by which Documentary evidence and other Physical evidence is proven to be genuine and Chain of custody refers to the chronological documentation and/or Paper trail, showing the seizure custody control transfer analysis and disposition of Evidence Judicial Notice is a rule in the Law of evidence that allows a fact to be introduced into evidence if the truth of that fact is so notorious or well known that it The best evidence rule is a Common law rule of evidence which can be traced back at least as far as the 18th century A self-authenticating document, under the Law of evidence in the United States, is any Document that can be admitted into evidence at a trial An ancient document, in the Law of evidence, refers to both a means of authentication for a piece of Documentary evidence, and an exception to the A witness is someone who has firsthand knowledge about a Crime or dramatic event through their Senses (e In American law competence concerns the mental capacity of an individual to participate in legal proceedings Under Common law, privilege is a term describing a number of rules excluding evidence that would be adverse to a fundamental principle or relationship if it were disclosed The Direct Examination is a crucial part of the case Direct examination (also called examination in chief is the questioning of a witness by the party who called him or her in a See Structure of policy debate for cross-examination in Policy debate. Witness impeachment, in the Law of evidence, is the process of calling into question the credibility of an individual who is testifying in a trial. A recorded recollection, in the Law of evidence, is an exception to the Hearsay rule which allows a witness to testify to the accuracy of a recording or An expert witness is a Witness, who by virtue of Education, Training, Skill, or Experience, is believed to have Knowledge A dead man statute is a statute designed to prevent Perjury in a Civil case by prohibiting a witness who is an interested party from testifying about communications History of the rule The rules of hearsay began to form properly in the late seventeenth century and had become fully established by the early nineteenth century Hearsay is the legal term that describes statements made outside of court or other judicial proceedings In the law of criminal evidence a confession means a statement by a suspect in crime which is adverse to that person The business records exception to the US hearsay rule is based on Rule 803(6 of the Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE An excited utterance, in the Law of evidence, is a statement made by a person in response to a startling or shocking event or condition In the Law of evidence, the dying declaration is Testimony that would normally be barred as Hearsay but may nonetheless be admitted as evidence Background The party admission, in the Law of evidence, is a type of statement that appears to be hearsay (an out of court statement but is An ancient document, in the Law of evidence, refers to both a means of authentication for a piece of Documentary evidence, and an exception to the Declarations against interest are an exception to the rule on hearsay in which a person's statement may be used where generally the content of the statement is so prejudicial A present sense impression, in the Law of evidence, is a statement made by a person (the Declarant) that conveys his or her sense of the state of an This article is for the legal term 'Res Gestae' For the article on the record of the accomplishments of the first Roman emperor Augustus see the article for Res Gestae Divi A learned treatise, in the Law of evidence, is a text that is sufficiently authoritiative in its field to be admissible as evidence in a Court in support In the law of evidence, an implied assertion is a statement or conduct that infers some fact A contract is an exchange of promises between two or more parties to do or refrain from doing an act which is enforceable in a court of law Tort law is the name given to a body of law that creates and provides remedies for civil wrongs that do not arise out of Contractual duties Property law is the area of Law that governs the various forms of Ownership in Real property (land as distinct from personal or movable possessions In Common law, a will or testament is a document by which a person (the Testator) regulates the rights of others over his or her Property The law of trusts and estates is generally considered the body of Law which governs the management of personal affairs and the Disposition of Property of The term criminal law, sometimes called penal law, refers to any of various bodies of rules in different Jurisdictions whose common characteristic is the potential Law is a system of rules enforced through a set of Institutions used as an instrument to underpin civil obedience politics economics and society The Law of evidence governs the use of Testimony (eg oral or written statements such as an Affidavit) and exhibits (e There are three ways that such evidence might be presented in a court of law,
- Testimony as to prior bad acts by the individual
- Witness's own opinion as to the character of the individual
- Testimony as to the reputation of the individual.
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Civil trials
Character evidence is generally inadmissible in civil suits, because it is considered to be an unfair basis from which to attempt to prove that an individual behaved in a particular way on a particular occasion. Civil law, as opposed to Criminal law, refers to that branch of Law dealing with disputes between Individuals and/or Organizations, in which However, there are specific instances in which this kind of evidence is admissible. In particular, when an individual claims to have good character (particularly when a witness claims to be honest or peaceful), the opposing side can rebut this claim by introducing character evidence against that individual. This article is about the legal concept for a rebuttal used in informal logic see Counterargument.
Character evidence may be admitted where the character of the party is an element of the claim—for example, in a defamation claim where party A sues party B because B said that A is dishonest. In such a claim, B can introduce evidence that A has a reputation as a dishonest person.
Criminal trials
In criminal trials, the defendant may always introduce opinion evidence or reputation evidence to prove that they did not commit the crime of which they are accused. The term criminal law, sometimes called penal law, refers to any of various bodies of rules in different Jurisdictions whose common characteristic is the potential A defendant or defender ( Δ in Legal shorthand) is any party who is required to answer the Complaint of a Plaintiff However, if a criminal defendant does introduce such evidence, the prosecution may then counter this with evidence of the defendant's bad character. The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the Common law Adversarial system, or the civil law The defendant cannot introduce evidence of specific good acts to show that he did not commit a bad act.
When someone other than the defendant testifies as to the defendant's good character, the prosecution may ask if the witness was aware of specific bad acts done by the defendant. This is permissible because the question is not asked to prove the defendant's character, but simply to impeach the credibility of the witness.
Another exception arises in criminal trials where the defendant introduces evidence of the character of the alleged crime victim, in order to show that the defendant acted in self defense. For example, if the defendant is on trial for battery of the victim, the defendant can introduce evidence that the victim has a reputation for violence, or that a witness has the opinion that the victim is a violent person, in order to show that the defendant actually acted in self defense. The prosecution may counter this by introducing similar evidence of the victim's peaceful nature, or by introducing similar evidence of the defendant's violent nature.
Character Witness
Commentators have noted that the ability of defendants to call character witnesses can give an advantage to more affluent defendants. Affluent defendants can call, as character witnesses, celebrities, athletes, and prominent members of the community. Contrastingly, it is not unknown for death row inmates to sometimes call, as a character witness, fellow death row inmates.
Distinguished from habit evidence
Character evidence must be distinguished from habit evidence, which describes conduct that an individual engages in as a matter of course, without giving it any thought. Habit evidence is a term used in the Law of evidence in the United States to describe any evidence submitted for the purpose of proving that a person
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