What Constitutes Permissible Evidence?

One of the elements that most people think they understand when it comes to court cases—but that is more complex than they may realize—is evidence. You must understand that there are different types of evidence—real and demonstrative. However, evidence is only permissible in a trial when it is relevant and admissible. Let’s get a closer look at the evidence to see how it works.

Types of Evidence

Evidence is used to prove or disprove facts that would show whether something was true or not. There are four main types of evidence at trial that could be permissible. This includes real evidence, demonstrative evidence, documentary evidence, and testimonial evidence.

Real evidence, which is sometimes called physical evidence, includes material items that are part of the case. This could include things like DNA, fingerprints, or other physical objects. To be permitted, the evidence needs to be relevant, material, and authentic.

Demonstrative evidence will often include diagrams or charts, which are meant to demonstrate a witness’s testimony. Some of the common examples of this type of evidence include maps, diagrams of a crime scene, and graphs.

Documentary evidence, as the name suggests, refers to documents that are meant to prove or disprove allegations that come up in the trial. There could be many different types of documentary evidence that could be permissible depending on the type and nature of the case. This could include items like contracts, newspapers, diaries, statements, and other types of documents. Documents will only be permitted if they are authentic and deemed trustworthy.

Testimonial evidence comes from people who take the stand in a case. They provide testimony to something they have seen or heard. The witness provides their testimony under oath.

Questions About Your Case?

Different sorts of trials will have different types of evidence that are permitted. Someone who is going through a divorce, for example, would require different evidence than someone who is accused of a serious crime.

Regardless of the type of case you might be facing, it’s a good idea to speak to Rajvi, at Gandhi Selim Law. She can provide you with more information regarding evidence and its permissibility, as well as what you can expect with your case. Rajvi can help gather evidence and can come up with strategies to disprove evidence that has been presented against you.