The Admissibility and Weighing of Forensic Evidence from the Supreme Court’s Judgment

Abstract

            The purpose of this study is to carry out content analyses of the Supreme Court’s judgment regarding the admissibility and weighing of forensic evidence. A total of 11 adjudications with forensic evidence in the judicial process was studied. The researchers explored the verdicts from the Supreme Court and then analyzed the guidelines of forensic evidence admissibility, weighing of evidence and the identification of relevant key issues. There were nine cases that the Supreme Court accepted forensic evidence while the others denied the admissibility of forensic evidence.

           The results of this study revealed that the analysis of cases involving forensic science had utilized the knowledge of forensic investigations for preponderance and admissibility of evidence along with the testimony of relevant witnesses, the parties involved, the plaintiff and the defendant and officials working in the judicial process and operating procedures to obtain evidence. These procedures were conducted in order to provide impartiality in the process of preponderance hearing and weighing evidence. This could also identify causes, procedures and modus operandi of the defendant. Moreover, it could be able to bring the offender to justice. Regarding the process of preponderance and admissibility of forensic evidence, there were no fixed rules but the procedures needed to be under the provisions of the law that gave the power to consider various pieces of evidence. Notably, the court might not admit technology, body of knowledge, and forensic processes, to prove someone’s guilt or innocence, especially when the process of forensic evidence collection was conducted without standards or when only the opinion of expert witnesses was expressed.