What happens in a criminal trial?
Criminal trials were created to give a person accused of a crime a fair and impartial adjudication where the government is given an opportunity to prove whether the person accused of a crime is innocent or guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Can anyone say anything about me in a criminal trial? No. In a criminal trial, there are certain rules called the rules of evidence that vary from state to state as to what can be introduced against a person accused of a crime. It is very important to hire a lawyer who is very knowledgeable about the criminal rules of evidence. The reason it is so important to hire an extremely experienced criminal defense attorney who thoroughly understand the criminal rule of evidence and rules of criminal procedure is so that you can ensure that your rights are not abridged in a criminal trial. The rules of evidence are very complex and if your criminal lawyer does not know what can or cannot be used against you in a criminal trial, the prosecution may introduce s
At the trial, the prosecutor presents evidence in the form of witness testimony, documentary evidence and demonstrative evidence. Documentary evidence includes documents such as books, deeds, wills, letters and the like. Demonstrative evidence includes all kinds of exhibits, such as photographs of the victim in the case of a homicide, or the gun used in committing a robbery. Under the Constitutional Bill of Rights, the defendant has the right to present witnesses and other evidence in defense of criminal charges. The defendant also has the right to “confront” or cross-examine the witnesses brought forward by the prosecution. The judge “charges” the jury by giving the jurors instruction on the law once the prosecutor finishes submitting the evidence. Both the prosecutor and the criminal defense attorney then sum up their arguments to the jury (closing arguments), based on the facts presented and the applicable law. The order in which these presentations happen varies from court to court
