Chain of Custody

1. Chain of Custody Notes on Page 25

2. 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

3. Important Points from Article • Improper chain of custody may undermine the value of the evidence in court

4. 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 Room Laboratory Investigating Division Scientist Investigator Property Room Laboratory Investigating Division Court

5. 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!)

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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.