An Introduction to Criminal Evidence Book

Acknowledgments v

About the Authors vii

Foreword ix

Section 1 Preliminary Matters/Setting the Stage 1

1 Introduction: A Brief History of Evidence Law 3

2 The American Criminal Court System 33

3 Important Concepts Underlying Evidence Law 60

4 Real, Demonstrative, and Testimonial Evidence 80

5 Presumptions, Inferences, and Stipulations 97

Section 2 Criminal Evidence 111

6 Witness Competency 113

7 Credibility and Impeachment of Witnesses 154

8 Examination of Witnesses 177

Section 3 Introducing Criminal Evidence in Court 209

9 Forms of Evidence 211

10 Expert Witnesses and Scientific Evidence 246

11 Testimonial Privileges 280

12 The Hearsay Rule 313

13 Hearsay: Exemptions and Exceptions 332

Glossary 371