When the prosecution sets out to present its case against you, they’ll do everything they can to paint you in a bad light. While this will include trying to show that you have a history of being dishonest so that the jury doesn’t give your arguments much weight, they’ll also try to present character evidence to show that you have a propensity for committing the type of offense with which you’ve been charged. But you shouldn’t just sit back and let the prosecution present this type of evidence to the jury.
The dangers of character evidence
Generally, character evidence is inadmissible in criminal trials. The reason is that this evidence may be more prejudicial than it is probative. For example, in a murder trial, it may put the defendant at an unfair disadvantage to allow the prosecution to present evidence that the defendant engaged in an act of domestic violence in the past, especially if there is no tie between that offense and the crime in question. This prior incident has nothing to do with whether the defendant is guilty of the charged crime, but it may taint the jury’s view of the defendant in an unfair manner.
Therefore, when the prosecution tries to present this type of character evidence, you have to be prepared to object to it. Really the only time the court should allow this testimony is if you present character evidence first or your character is part of the offense in question. The prosecution may also be permitted to present character evidence if they do so to impeach you, meaning that they’re attacking the reliability of your testimony.
Know how to aggressively protect your interests throughout your criminal case
Character evidence is one of many nuanced legal issues that you could confront in your criminal case. You have to know how to approach each one, aiming at using it to your advantage. If you don’t, then you could unwittingly leave yourself in a position where conviction is likely. So, if you’d like to learn more about what you can do to aggressively and effectively defend yourself, then now is the time to read up on your criminal defense options.