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Prosecutors must establish an unbroken chain of custody in order to get an exhibit into evidence. Learn why the chain of custody is important.Just because a party offers evidence in a criminal case doesn't mean the judge will allow it. The offered evidence must comply with several rules before a judge will admit it into the case. One such rule is that a party seeking to offer a tangible object as evidence must establish an unbroken and reliable "chain of custody." This chain of custody documents whatever path the evidence took from crime scene to the courtroom to ensure it's what the party says it is and it hasn't been tampered with. Establishing a Chain of CustodyExhibits are tangible objects that are relevant to the facts of a case—for example:
Proving that an exhibit being offered into evidence is exactly what it purports to be—the actual drugs found on the defendant or the very cellphone stolen from the store—requires proof of who had possession of the exhibit at all times between the time officers seized it and the trial. Because criminal prosecutions typically depend on evidence gathered by police officers, it is prosecutors who generally need to establish a chain of custody. Chain-of-Custody ExampleLet's assume that Hy Immer is on trial for possession of cocaine. To prove Immer guilty, the prosecutor must establish that the substance in Immer's possession was in fact cocaine. The prosecutor offers as evidence the packet of powder that a police officer removed from Immer's pocket. The prosecutor also offers evidence that scientific testing proved that the powder in question is cocaine. To establish the chain of custody for the packet, the prosecutor must:
Importance of the Chain of CustodyThe chain of custody works to ensure the evidence is what it purports to be, has not been tampered with or altered, and has been appropriately handled and tested. Without such measures, judges and juries might base a conviction on planted evidence, inaccurate test results, or an item that was never at the crime scene. Challenging the Chain of CustodyMost often the defense will be in the position of challenging the chain of custody. A typical defense strategy is to attack the sufficiency of the prosecutor's chain—link by link. The defense might do this by showing an irregularity or discrepancy in the timeline or documentation or challenging how the item was stored, labeled, or tested. If the defense succeeds in preventing the prosecutor from offering an exhibit into evidence, the judge might rule that the prosecutor has insufficient evidence to allow a case to continue. (That determination rests on how crucial the piece of evidence is to the case.) Going back to Immer's example, his attorney can challenge each and every step in the seizure-storage-testing-transportation process. If the prosecutor cannot convince the judge that the foundation is adequate, the judge will rule the packet inadmissible and, in all probability, dismiss the case. Talk to a LawyerStart here to find criminal defense lawyers near you. How it Works
Chain of Custody refers to the logical sequence that records the sequence of custody, control, transfer, analysis and disposition of physical or electronic evidence in legal cases. Each step in the chain is essential as if broke, the evidence may be rendered inadmissible. Thus we can say that preserving the chain of custody is about following the correct and consistent procedure and hence ensuring the quality of evidence.
Let’s get started with each section in detail. What the Chain of Custody entails in Digital Cyber Forensics?If you are in the field of Cyber Security, you will
be at one point in your career will be involved in Digital Forensics. One of the concepts that is most essential in Digital Forensics is the Chain of Custody.
Digital evidence is acquired from the myriad of devices like a vast number of IoT devices, audio evidence, video recordings, images, and other data stored on hard drives, flash drives, and other physical media. Importance of maintaining Chain of Custody?Importance to Examiner:
Importance to the Court: If not preserved, the evidence submitted in the court might be challenged and ruled inadmissible. Chain of Custody ProcessIn order to preserve digital evidence, the chain of custody should span from the first step of data collection to examination, analysis, reporting, and the time of presentation to the Courts. This is very important to avoid the possibility of any suggestion that the evidence has been compromised in any way. Let’s discuss each stage of the chain of custody in detail:
The Chain of Custody FormIn order to prove a chain of custody, you’ll need a form that lists out the details of how the evidence was handled every step of the way. The form should answer the following questions:
The CoC form must be kept up-to-date. This means every time the best evidence is handled off, the chain of custody form needs to be updated. Procedure to establish the Chain of CustodyIn order to assure the authenticity of the chain of custody, a series of steps must be followed. It is important to note that the more information Forensic expert obtains concerning the evidence, the more authentic is the created chain of custody. You should ensure that the following procedure is followed according to the chain of custody for electronic devices:
How can the Chain of Custody be assured?A couple of considerations are involved when dealing with digital evidence and Chain of Custody. We shall discuss the most common and globally accepted and practiced best practices.
The Digital evidence and Digital Chain of Custody are the backbones of any action taken by digital forensic specialists. In this article, we have examined the seriousness of the digital evidence and what it entails and how slight tampering with the digital evidence can change the course of the forensic expert’s investigation. References: – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chain_of_custody What is a list of all people who had possession of a piece of evidence called?The chain of custody of evidence is a record of individuals who have had physical possession of the evidence.
What is meant by a chain of custody?Definition(s):
A process that tracks the movement of evidence through its collection, safeguarding, and analysis lifecycle by documenting each person who handled the evidence, the date/time it was collected or transferred, and the purpose for the transfer.
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