Explain the exclusionary rule and the fruit of the poisoned tree. How do they impact police officers' investigations?

What will be an ideal response?


Answers will vary. The exclusionary rule prohibits the use of illegally seized evidence. According to this rule, any evidence obtained by an unreasonable search or seizure is inadmissible against a defendant in a criminal trial. Even highly incriminating evidence, such as a knife stained with the victim's blood, usually cannot be introduced at a trial if illegally obtained.Any physical or verbal evidence police acquire by using illegally obtained evidence is known as the fruit of the poisoned tree. It is also inadmissible. For example, if the police use the existence of a bloodstained knife to get a confession out of a suspect, that confession will be excluded as well. One of the implications of the exclusionary rule is that it forces police to gather evidence properly. If they follow appropriate procedures, they are more likely to be rewarded with a conviction. If they are careless or abuse the rights of the suspect, they are unlikely to get a conviction.

Criminal Justice

You might also like to view...

Threat assessment is a systematic effort to identify and evaluate existing or potential terrorist threats to a jurisdiction and its target assets

a. True b. False

Criminal Justice

Muir talked about three ways in which professionalism could be nurtured:

A. training, teaching, and touching B. language, learning, and leadership C. seeing, hearing, and believing D. schooling, work, and culture

Criminal Justice

Reiterate the theme of this textbook. How might this textbook’s theme facilitate the study of criminal justice?

What will be an ideal response?

Criminal Justice

Compared to their counterparts in England and in other European countries, American prosecutors enjoy unmatched independence and discretionary powers

Indicate whether the statement is true or false

Criminal Justice