Expert Witnesses Speak For Defendants When Nobody Else Can
If charged with a crime, you are understandably stressed. The prosecution will probably have seemingly mountains of evidence placing you at the scene. They will put forth witnesses to your supposed misdeeds. Oh, yes, things look bad.
And, what if you have nobody to testify on your behalf? Such is often the case, since few people plan to get arrested.
Fortunately, a criminal defense attorney can retain the services of expert witnesses who help put your story in perspective. These professionals are invaluable to defendants who might have little other way to prove their innocence.
To help those of you who need to know more about establishing truth in court, here is an explanation of the value of expert witnesses.
What is an Expert Witness?
The courts allow certain professionals to testify on the behalf of parties to a lawsuit. These men and women do so in their professional capacity, which means they speak as trained specialists. Their perspective carries serious weight with the jury and judge hearing the case.
Unlike most witnesses, the expert has the right to venture away from the facts of the actual incident. Instead, the court allows them to speak broadly about their opinion of the facts that precipitated in criminal charges.
Historians as Expert Witnesses
An historian, a scholar of the past, can help provide a criminal defense in various ways. For example, one might be able to inform the court just how common it is for arresting officers to make mistakes in certain situations. In vehicular accident cases, this professional could speak of the history of a certain geographical area, in relation to traffic casualties, perhaps persuading the jury that the accused did not act out of malice but just made a reasonable driver error.
Psychologists as Expert Witnesses
These doctors of the mind are often invaluable to criminal defendants. They help the defense by using their expertise to explain just how the accused was thinking during the incident.The judge and jury also get to hear of mitigating factors, such as an abusive childhood, that often cause people to act irrationally at times. Knowledge of these factors might lead to compassion toward the accused.
Physicists as Expert Witnesses
Scientists are popular as expert witnesses. They employ their specialties to demonstrate just how improbable some things are. In automobile cases, physicists can prove that a motorist accused of a violation leading to injuries just could not have done it. Even in non-criminal proceedings related to the accident, a personal injury lawyer might make use of this testimony to disprove charges that could otherwise mean the client paying monetary damages.
Speak With a Criminal Defense Attorney About Using Experts
An attorney, such as Damiani Gerard M, is the best source of information on how to utilize an expert witnesses in criminal litigation. They will know all about 702 of the federal and state Rules of Evidence that detail just what role such a witness can play.