The main objective of this course will be to outline the structure and function of the law of evidence. The course views the law of evidence through the lens of constitutional principles. The first part of the course will examine the most important provisions of european law in the field of criminal evidence.
The second part of the course will examine the role of scientific evidence in criminal courts. Last forty years has seen considerable growth in the use of statistics in criminal proceedings. One area of particular interest is Bayes’ theorem
The course will examine the CSI effect and the influence of forensic crime television on criminal trial.
Upon the completion of the course students should be able to understanstand the rationale underlying the rules of evidence and should have the learning skills to undertake further studies in the field of criminal procedure. Students are also supposed to have developed good communication skills and the ability to use their knowledge in decisionmaking processes.