The Importance Of Credibility In The Courtroom

The credibility of a person is one of the most important factors to determine whether that person should or should not be allowed to take the stand in the courtroom. Being able to rely on the answers given by a witness or the accused is vital to lawyers or paralegals as those answers could be what helps their client be released from their charges. However, if a person becomes discredited while on the stand, then your client may not have a chance of being released. A person’s credibility must be unimpeachable in order for their statements and testimonies to be considered in a court of law. Determining credibility depends on the witness’ or the accused’s mental and physical state, previous criminal conduct, and the consistency of statements. Mental and physical stability is an important factor to consider when deciding if a witness or the accused should be allowed to take the stand in court. If a mental or physical disability is found, then the witness or accused could easily become discredited based on belief that their disability may have somehow affected their statements or testimonies. In the case of R. v. Tomlinson, the Crown’s witness to a first degree murder, whose name was concealed to protect their identity, was found to be …show more content…
However, the Crown may sometimes cross that line in the hopes of them being able to get a criminal off the streets, which equals a win for them. The Crown’s impartiality has to remain intact if the accused has been convicted of a crime in the past as their previous convictions do not necessarily affect the truthfulness of the testimony that they are giving in regards to the current case. The same train of thought should be applied to witnesses. When it comes to the defendant, prior convictions do not mean that the defendant is guilty for the crime they are currently accused