Criminal Evidence

Evidence is information offered in court to prove or disprove a fact and to show that a crime was committed. It is shown in court as an item of proof, to impeach or rehabilitate a witness, and to determine a sentence. Evidence can come in the form of weapons, documents, pictures, tape recordings, or exhibits. There are four different types of physical evidence that are considered in court. The first are the fruits of the …

…be proved that there was a continuous control of evidence from the crime scene until it arrives in the courtroom. Because trials can sometimes occur months and even years after the actual crime, the original evidence must be reassembled from storage long after the crime took place. If at anytime the chain of evidence is broken or disrupted, then the evidence cannot be accounted for, and is no longer good to use in a case.