As used in criminal investigations, evidence refers to a wide range of information and items that go a long way in providing the foundation upon which a court can prove or disapprove a point in the trial process. There are diverse sources of information in the criminal justice system, and they range from witnesses observation and the examination and analysis of physical facts, among others. In all this, the information must be valid, reliable, accurate, and relevant.
According to Gehl (2017), a piece of evidence must have probative value, and this refers to the persuasive value or the weight that a justice system is signing to a given piece of evidence. When dealing with eyewitnesses' evidence, it is imperative to consider many factors. Is the witness independent, compellable, and competent? Is he having excellent mental capabilities and can recount everything as a witness? These questions help in sifting through pieces of evidence from eyewitnesses' accounts to validate them in terms of relevance, credibility, and validity.
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Physical evidence is also an important part of the information that can be crucial in determining a case's outcome. Proper forensic analysis is needed in tying the physical evidence to the person charged (Ballantyne & Wilson-Wilde, 2020). Only then can the physical evidence be relevant to a case. Evidence must have a relationship with the charge and also relate to the elements of the offense they are supposed to prove. The sources must be relevant and credible for admissible evidence.
In a nutshell, a proper investigation should begin with an objective plan of gathering and filtering information. A piece of evidence may be dismissed if it does not link the accused to the crime or was sourced from questionable sources. To guarantee validity, reliability, and accuracy, information must have something to do with the case. It also must come from a credible source, and this is particularly true when dealing with witnesses' accounts, as the paper demonstrates.
References
Ballantyne, K. N., & Wilson-Wilde, L. (2020). Assessing the reliability and validity of forensic science–an industry perspective. Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences , 52 (3), 275-281.
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Gehl, R., Plecas, (2017). Introduction to criminal investigation: Processes, practices and thinking . New Westminster, BC: Justice Institute of British Columbia.
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