CHAIN OF CUSTODY

Notes on Page 25

Important Points from Article States that chain of

custody is a set of procedures to ensure physical evidence is not subject to tampering, misconduct or anything that raises questions about whether the evidence is what the government says it is

Important Points from Article Improper chain of custody may

undermine the value of the evidence in court

Definition of Chain of Custody The movement and location of physical

evidence from the time it is obtained until the time it is presented in court

Crime Scene

Property RoomLaboratoryInvestigating Division

ScientistInvestigator

Property RoomLaboratoryInvestigating Division

Court

How to Present in Court

Need 3 types of testimony General testimony can be provided by

witnesses, investigators, scientists, psychiatrists, doctors (will talk more about this soon!)

First Testimony

Testimony that a piece of evidence is what is introduced to be

Example: If evidence is introduced as defendant’s blood, there needs to be testimony that acknowledges that the evidence is in fact defendant’s blood

Second Testimony

Testimony of continuous possession by each individual who had possession of the evidence

Each person that handled evidence needs to testify

Each person that has handled evidence normally signs the package to track where the evidence has been

Third testimony

Testimony by each of the individuals who handled the evidence that the evidence remained relatively in the same condition from one person to the next

Shows that evidence has not been tampered with or altered by government officials

Your turn – page 24

Draw a diagram showing the location of evidence from the crime scene to the court. Be sure to show in your diagram who might handle the evidence and how they will maintain chain of custody.