Criminal Evidence: From Crime Scene to Courtroom, Third Edition

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With lucid text, four-color illustrations, and abundant examples, Criminal Evidence follows the path of evidence From Crime Scene to Courtroom. Focusing on the Federal Rules of Evidence and their state counterparts, Derek Regensburger offers a clear introduction to the principles of evidence and instructions for collecting, preserving, and presenting evidence in a criminal case. The book surveys the major concepts of evidence law such as relevance and burden of proof, discovery, admission of expert witness testimony, impeachment of witnesses, character evidence, hearsay, authentication of physical evidence, and more. Actual trials and news excerpts bring the material to life as they illustrate the role of evidence in real cases. Videos of mock trial scenes on the book’s website reinforce students’ understanding of key concepts.

New to the Third Edition:

•     A new chapter on trial practice and witness preparation
•     Streamlined discussions of the exclusionary rule, Miranda rights, and rape shield laws
•     Updated material on eyewitness identification and admission of confessions, particularly the modification of the corpus delicti rule by many state courts
•     Changes concerning the reliability of forensic evidence due to the release of the 2016 report on the issue authored by the President’s Council on Science and Technology, including the FBI’s rejoinder to that report
•     New and expanded sections on bloodstain pattern analysis, arson investigation, and handwriting analysis
•     New and updated practical examples and Evidence in Action articles to feature more recent events, including the Kyle Rittenhouse trial

Professors and students will benefit from:

•     Straightforward text that follows the evidence from collection to trial
•     Accessible three-part organization
  •         I. The Collection and Preservation of Evidence
  •         II. Pretrial Matters
  •         III. Admissibility of Evidence
•     Four-color photographs and exhibits that illustrate evidentiary concepts
•     Evidence in Action, observed in real trials and news excerpts
•     Practical examples that apply legal concepts through hypothetical scenarios
•     Review questions and application problems at the end of each chapter test students’ mastery of the material
•     Short mock trial scenes on the companion website that illustrate key concepts discussed in the text