Types of evidence
Evidence is vital when trying to establish that a crime happened or that an individual took part in the crime. Different types of evidence presentable in a court of law. They include circumstantial, real, and demonstrative. This paper will seek to examine each type of evidence while ranking them from the most important to the least important.
The most important is physical evidence, which is also described as real evidence. It comprises physical items in a trial that the judge or jury can physically review (Findlaw, 2019). Some types of physical evidence are DNA, blood samples, knives, or a gun. Physical evidence is significant because it can prove or disprove an issue during a trial. Demonstrative evidence comes next where diagrams or charts are used to illustrate a testimony from a witness. It is allowed when it accurately and fairly reflects testimony from a witness and can be categorized as being probative (Findlaw, 2019). Diagrams or maps from a crime scene or graphs that show financial or physical injury towards a plaintiff are classified as being demonstrative evidence.
Lastly, there is circumstantial evidence that seeks to determine the incident related to a specific point or evidence. Circumstantial evidence gives details on situations that permit assumptions to be created on other forms of evidence (Heller, 2006). It provides indirect proof on crime, and most of the time, it cannot be used as the only evidence during a trial. For example, a witness confessing seeing a suspect run away from a crime scene without witnessing the crime. Circumstantial evidence is utilized in criminal courts to prove guilt or establish innocence by reasoning. In most cases, there is no direct witness to testify on the facts of a case, and thus prosecution is forced to use circumstantial evidence (Heller, 2006).
References
Real and Demonstrative Evidence. (2019, February 15). Retrieved from https://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-procedure/real-and-demonstrative-evidence.html
Heller, K. J. (2006). The cognitive psychology of circumstantial evidence. Mich. L. Rev., 105, 241.