forensic science

forensic science

Evidence

Direct and Circumstantial Evidence

Direct and Indirect Evidence

Evidence can be either direct or circumstantial. Direct evidence establishes a fact. Examples of direct evidence are eyewitness statements and confessions. 

Circumstantial evidence, on the other hand, requires that a judge and/or jury make an indirect judgment, or inference, about what happened.

For example, if a fingerprint or hair found at the crime scene matches that of a suspect, jurors may infer that the print or hair is indeed that of the defendant, and because it was found at the crime scene, links the defendant to the scene.

Circumstantial evidence is not absolute proof; instead, it provides a general idea of what happened. 

Circumstantial evidence often is much more reliable than direct evidence.

Eyewitnesses are notoriously bad at identifying suspects or recalling events. 

Circumstantial evidence is more objective and is more likely to provide a reliable answer.

An eyewitness may be wrong as much as half the time, but fingerprints and DNA evidence can accurately distinguish the individual in question from the other 7 billion people on Earth.

It’s pretty basic. In the law of evidence, there are two kinds of evidence recognized: direct, and circumstantial.

“Direct evidence” means testimony, on the witness stand, under oath, from a witness.

“Circumstantial evidence” means everything else. Period. That’s it.

Most people have the misconception that “circumstantial evidence” is untrustworthy, or has something wrong with it."

Virtually all scientific evidence, however, falls in the category of circumstantial evidence. 

DNA testing, is not based on eyewitness testimony of someone who can place the defendant at the scene of the crime, but if the defendant’s DNA is found there, it is certain that the defendant was in fact there at some point.

Summary

Direct Evidence: As the name implies, direct evidence is information that directly addresses the issue at hand. It’s not merely something relevant. It plainly offers an answer to a specific research question. It may not provide as complete an answer as we would like. It may not even provide an accurate answer. But it specifically states something about our problem. It is then up to us to decide its veracity and its weight.

Indirect Evidence

Evidence that establishes immediate facts from which the main fact may be inferred also called CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.