Court Testimony

As a professional involved with the evaluation of crime scenes, your court testimony is vital to assuring a fair and accurate trial.

For this week’s discussion, please respond to each of the following:

• Suppose you were called to investigate an assault with a deadly weapon. A year later, you are subpoenaed to present your findings in court as a witness for the prosecution. What would you do to prepare your testimony? Why is this important?  Make sure to support your answer with material from the textbook.

• As a criminal investigator, you are the expert on the case.  A lot of times the decision to prosecute or acquit is based upon your presentation of facts.  One of your colleagues is set to testify for the first time on a case that has drawn intense public scrutiny.  Using your textbook, what advice do you have for this investigator?  Why is this advice important?