| Our criminal justice system relies heavily on evidence | | | | must be collected and stored in very secure |
| to prove a person's guilt or innocence. The burden of | | | | conditions. |
| proof often is the deciding factor on whether a | | | | During criminal trials, documents and important |
| person is convicted of a crime or is set free. If the | | | | paperwork are often submitted as evidence on both |
| evidence shown in a criminal trial is inaccurate, forged, | | | | sides. Documents that are forged, altered, or |
| or tampered with, the entire proceeding has been | | | | otherwise changed to persuade the judge or jury of |
| jeopardized and the trial is rendered completely | | | | a point are considered to be falsified evidence. It is |
| ineffective. | | | | illegal to tamper with evidence in a criminal case, and |
| For criminals and prosecutors alike, the temptation for | | | | if a document is found to be false, the judge can |
| using falsified evidence may exist, but it is unlawful in | | | | disallow it to be presented in court. |
| any case. Criminals may want to present false | | | | Incorrect or false statements by witnesses also can |
| evidence to show that they were not at the scene | | | | be considered to be falsified evidence. Trials often |
| of the crime, or to for use as an alibi that will help | | | | rely on eyewitness or character witness testimony |
| them escape conviction. Prosecutors may be | | | | for judgment, and false statements can be very |
| tempted to use falsified evidence to bolster their | | | | harmful to the overall decision. There are severe |
| case or ensure the conviction of a person whom | | | | penalties for proving false testimony, including perjury |
| they are convinced committed the crime. The fact of | | | | charges and other legal action. |
| the matter is, if the evidence does not exist to | | | | Tainted samples or other forensic evidence that has |
| convict or exonerate, the case must move forward | | | | been planted or tampered with may be thrown out |
| with evidence that is valid for the system to work. | | | | of court and can result in a mistrial or dismissal of the |
| Valid evidence should be authentic, original, and | | | | case. For this reason, the prosecution and the |
| uncontaminated. For this reason, law enforcement | | | | defense must be careful to present evidence that is |
| officials should practice caution when investigating | | | | unquestionable as far as it's authenticity and validity. |
| crime scenes and should rely on experienced forensic | | | | If you would like to know more about falsified |
| investigators to properly collect samples and other | | | | evidence and criminal trials, visit the website of the |
| vital pieces of evidence from the scene. In the case | | | | Appleton criminal attorneys of Kohler, Hart & |
| of fluid samples, contamination can easily occur and | | | | Priebe. |
| damage the overall case for the prosecution, so they | | | | |