Witness Essay Examples - Free Research Paper Topics on StudyDriver.com

The Essential Goal of Witness Protection Law Essay

Witness is an important constituent of the administration of justice. By giving evidence linking to the charge of the offence the witness performs a sacred duty of assisting the court to discover the truth. This is the reason why before giving evidence he/she either takes an oath in the name of God or makes a solemn affirmation that he/she will speak the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The witness has no risk in the decision of […]

Examining a Witness; Memory Refreshing

“The rules relating to refreshing memory allow a witness, who has forgotten everything about an incident, to still provide testimony. To that extent it subverts the purpose of examining a witness as it means they cannot be properly questioned about their recollection since they are testifying about what they are reading and not what they remember”. To what extent do you agree with this statement? Introduction The general rule is that witnesses are not permitted to give oral evidence by […]

The Injustice against Adnan Syed (argumentative Essay)

Adnan Syed was a high school student at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore, Maryland. At the age of seventeen he was arrested and tried as an adult for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee, an eighteen-year-old student also at Woodlawn High School. Hae Min Lee disappeared without a trace on January 13th, 1999, twenty-seven days after her body was found at Leakin Park buried in a shallow grave. Her cause of death was determined as manual strangulation. Adnan […]

Standard of Proof Common Civil Law Comparative Perspective Law Essay

In both legal systems, common law and civil law, criminal and civil matters are the majority of issues occurring in legal proceeding. Criminal matters are legal affiliation between governments and citizens in which governments take a superior position. “Criminal process, typically although not exclusively, is initiated by the government or an agency of government, and is directed towards the punishment of an individual who is alleged to have contravened a rule of conduct for which such punishment has been made […]

An Analysis of Biases in Twelve Angry Men, a Play by Reginald Rose

Twelve Angry Men Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose, is a story regarding twelve Jurors that have to decide regarding whether the nineteen-year-old boy standing test devoted the murder of his daddy. Each of these Juror’s have various expectations, prejudices and sights of the evidence against the kid. If the kid will get the death sentence, their understanding of all of the evidence and votes will certainly affect. This tale highlights the many weaknesses in our justice system. The influence […]

Police Respect for the Community

According to Michael Nangle, and the article he wrote for the New York Times these principles are : The basic mission for which the police exist is to prevent crime and disorder.’ The ability of the police to perform their duties is dependent upon public approval of police actions.’ ‘Police must secure the willing cooperation of the public in voluntary observance of the law to be able to secure and maintain the respect of the public.’ ‘The degree […]

The Structure of Criminal Trial in the United States

One of the most vaguely understood events in the United States is the modern criminal trial. Most people have a faint knowledge of the goings-on of criminal proceedings, mainly due to what is seen on television, but the person who knows the real course of a trial is rare. However, there is nothing mysterious about the events that determine criminal guilt. Trials are carefully orchestrated, following procedures that have been laid in legal concrete over the years, and generally follow […]

Review of Podcast about Adnan Syed Crime

Serial is a podcast narrated by Sarah Koenig, throughout the podcast she is searching for the person who is guilty of the murder of Hae min Lee. Lee went missing around January in 1999 and her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed was charged and prosecuted. Although there was no clear evidence that Adnan did it,there seemed to be no one else who really could have done it. The lack of evidence created suspense throughout the story and made the audience question if […]

Forensic Psychology in Criminal Justice System

Two ways in which Psychology contributes to the Criminal Justice System: A review of eyewitness testimony and sexual offender treatment programmes. The Criminal Justice System (CJS) is a set of legal and social organisations for enforcing the criminal’s law according to a defined set of rules and legislations. The biggest influence on the CJS has been the finding of reasons of certain behaviours, these are founded by physiological theories which gave a major benefit by providing a better understanding for […]

12 Angry Men Movie Review

Sixty-one years have passed since the debut of Twelve Angry Men and yet this black and white film still captures audience’s attention to this day. The American court system has developed around the key belief that an individual is innocent until proven guilty. It is far worse to convict an innocent person than let a guilty one go. The trial of the young man isn’t portrayed within the film; rather the details of the crime and trial are slowly revealed […]

Who is the Defendant in the Trial of Twelve Angry Men?

In a murder trial in which a young man is accused of the death of his father in rather strange circumstances, it is here that 12 members of a jury take the responsibility of deciding whether or not the young man is guilty of said murder and based on reasons, they must decide their guilt. The evidence and the witnesses in principle was only one of them doubt about the certainty of guilt, the other juries think that the young […]

Capital Punishment and Death by Fire

Introduction The cost for the death penalty is higher than if the convicted is sentenced to life in prison. The cost is two to three times higher because of the manpower needed to try a death penalty case is more involved than a person sentenced to life in prison. Death penalty cases require more jurors, experts (arsenal/psychological/medical), legal counsel, and time than a regular case. Additionally, when sentenced to death, the inmate usually seeks appeals to overturn their conviction. This […]

False Confession Experiment

Research Question The research question in the article, Innocent but Proven Guilty: Eliciting Internalized False Confessions Using Doctored-Video Evidence by Nash and Wade (2008), is: Could fake-video evidence lead people to believe they committed an act they never did? This research question is interesting as it reveals how people may be driven to make false confessions when presented with a fake-video evidence (Nash & Wade, 2008). It further shows that the criminal justice system may be apprehending people, who have […]

Monster Book Report

In Monster, by Walter Dean Myers, the reader learns from Steve Harmon’s experiences that sometimes guilt or innocence of a person might not be determined by solid evidence but by onlooker’s opinions and interpretation of the crime. There is not a large amount of scientific evidence in the case against Steve Harmon, so the jury must rely on Steve’s background information, their opinions of guilt and innocence, and the testimonies of the witnesses who are mostly criminals. From Steve’s trial, […]

Pre-recorded Video Evidence in Sexual Assault and Rape Trials

The use of pre-recorded video evidence in sexual assault and rape trials. Has the law of criminal evidence managed to strike an appropriate balance between protecting the victims of sexual assault, who are usually the prime witnesses in prosecution proceedings, and protecting the due process rights of defendants charged with these crimes, in particular the right to properly test the evidence which has been admitted against them? Introduction: i. Background to the conflicting issues of this research In the title […]

Testimony Definition Example for Free

When individuals either witness or are a victim of crime they may be required to give evidence in court. This can involve recounting events that took place or identifying a suspect from an identity parade. Evidence presented in a trial contributes to a judge or jury deciding whether an individual is innocent or guilty and if the information provided by the eyewitness is incorrect then innocent people may be found guilty or guilty people may go free (Loftus, 1986). With […]

R. V Blastland [1986] AC 41

>Introduction In this case, the Appellant to the House of Lords had been charged with buggery and murder. It was alleged that he had forcibly buggered a 12 year-old boy before strangling him with a scarf. The Defendant’s case was that he had attempted to bugger the boy but had desisted when the latter complained of pain. Shortly afterwards, the Defendant had seen an individual referred to only as ‘Mark’ and had fled the scene. It was asserted that this […]

New Developments in Todays Court Room

Camera’s in the courtroom although not a new topic still seems to be a topic of hot debate. According to an article entitled, Sotomayor Should Push for Camera’s in the Courtroom just published in June of 2009; A federal judicial courtroom is still deciding about the judges discretionary power to allow camera in the court room even in 2009 (Breyer & Hyatt, 2009). This paper will attempt to look at the history of camera’s in the courtroom, the pros and […]

Istihsan and Sharia Law

Basically, the rulings that had been made by the Companions and Successors were often based on their own understanding for the spirit and Shariah purpose. So, the rulings that are made by the Companions and Successors are not in restricted manner and also not in giving the exact meaning of the rules because they are not literalist. Therefore, istihsan has been made as the antidote to literalism which gives a wide interpretation of the law in order to sustain equality […]

Law of Evidence

The present scenario involves a number of substantive and procedural considerations. These are organised into groupings of identification evidence, alibi, the applicability of special measures, witness competence and compellability, and considerations of burden of proof. The scenario also lends itself to a discussion of trial tactics. Tactical considerations for both the prosecution and the defence will dictate the outcome of a number of the evidentiary and procedural issues highlighted here. The following analysis regarding the quality of Wendy’s eye witness […]

Human Rights and Criminal Justice

In considering the extent to which the police have complied with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 and the PACE Codes of Practice regarding the arrest, detention and interrogation of Graham and Nisha it is to be appreciated that a police officer (Ministry of Housing & Local Government v. Sharp, at p.266, per Lord Denning MR) who commits a breach of their common law or statutory duty by making an unlawful/wrongful arrest be liable for damages (M v. […]

Indigenous Interpreting Issues in Western Australian Courts

Indigenous Interpreting Issues in WA Courts Central to the concept of justice in Australia is a fair trial. An essential feature of this is that the defendant ‘not only be physically present but should also be able to understand the proceedings and the nature of the evidence against him or her’.[1] Therefore, if a witness is not sufficiently skilled in English to do this, a court interpreter is vital to ensure justice is done. The Western Australian Chief Justice Wayne […]

Analysis Al Khawaja V UK

Hearsay rule is among the remarkable rules of the law of evidence which was first developed in English-speaking countries during the second half of the eighteenth and the first years of the nineteenth century. The admissibility of hearsay evidence has been a controversial issue while some people asserted that it should be abolished. In fact, segregates those statements which possess high probative value from hearsay evidence as exceptions of hearsay will undoubtedly fit the development tendency of history. Remove the […]

Does the Current Law Protect Vulnerable and Intimidated Witnesses Adequately?

Are vulnerable and intimidated witnesses adequately protected during cross-examination under the current law? To appear as a witness in a criminal trial has been described as a terrifying, intimidating, difficult and stressful ordeal. [1] It is not an easy experience for vulnerable and intimidated witnesses when the issue of giving evidence about the incident they were involved in is in question. This is because while the witnesses are giving evidence in court they are most likely to re-live the incident […]

Witness Essays