Evidence in the Criminal Law

In crime dramas like CSI, we often notice police officers gathering large amounts of weapons and shell in clear plastic bags. These bags have ‘evidence’ clearly marked on their cover, and are later used to convict the suspect. Driving past a real world crime scene, we similarly observe police officers sectioning off pieces of land or property with caution tape. This tape serves the purpose of keeping the public out of harms way, but also to ensure evidence remains unaltered from its original state. It must remain unaltered as it usually determines the guilt or innocence of the individual accused of the crime.

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To put forward evidence, means to have information to be used in order to prove or disprove a certain matter of fact. 

The law of evidence uses rules and legal principles that control the proof of facts in legal proceedings. These rules and principles determine what can and cannot be considered evidence, and how much weight is to be given to each piece of evidence. Evidence law is also concerned with the type of proof, quality, and quantity required.

The law of evidence has two main purposes in our criminal justice system. Firstly, this law establishes a set of principles that work to take out facts of no use to the decision maker. In doing so, it helps decision makers like judges or the jury make unbiased conclusions. Secondly, evidence law helps reduce the large amount of information coming before the decision makers; it expedites legal proceedings. In addition, judges exercise a significant amount of discretion for what can and cannot be considered evidence during trial.

In furthering our understanding evidence, It is important to understand the burden of proof as it relates to the criminal justice system. The burden of proof is a party’s obligation to prove something is the case. In the criminal court, this burden or ‘onus’ is placed up on the Crown attorney, who must prove that an accused person has committed the alleged offence. The Crown attorney does this with the aid of evidence. In court, the accused is presumed innocent. In criminal court, the standard of proof is ‘beyond reasonable doubt’. The Crown attorney must be able to prove the accused is guilty beyond reasonable doubt in order to get a conviction or in the youth criminal justice system a finding of guilt.

There are three different forms of evidence. The first is ‘real evidence’, which consists of things that are tangible. This type of evidence includes physical objects such as tape recordings, printouts, and photographs. In order for real evidence to be used in court, it must be relevant, and trustworthy. This also includes ‘demonstrative evidence’ such as charts, models, and experiments.

The second form of evidence is ‘documentary evidence’. This type of evidence includes digital tape recording, business and personal records, court documents, video clips, and computer records. For documentary evidence, there is a requirement that it must be the original copy or form—unless unavailable—this is called the ‘best evidence rule’. All documentary evidence is established as authentic and relevant prior to their use. This is done through the use of affidavits, or a testimony.

The third type of evidence is ‘testimonial evidence’, also known as oral evidence. This evidence is given viva voce, or through oral speech. Testimonial evidence is received through answers to questions asked mainly by Crown attorneys and Defense counsels. For instance, when a police officer is answering the questions of a lawyer on the witness stand, he or she is testifying for or against the accused. Any witness that testifies must give an oath or affirmation prior to giving their evidence, they must be personally present in court, and are subject to cross-examination.

If you are being investigated as a suspect for a criminal offence: 

Youth who are charged with an offence under the age of eighteen are dealt with in accordance with the Youth Criminal Justice Act. It is important for young people who are accused with an offence to know that if he/she is being investigated for a charge AND HAVE NOT BEEN CHARGED he/she have no obligation to provide evidence to the investigating officer. This includes answering any questions. You have no obligation to go to a police station for questioning unless you arrested and taken to the station. Justice for Children and Youth recommends that youth to do not make a statement to the police.  The police have a burden to prove their case against you - you have no legal obligation to assist them. Anything that you say to a police officer can and will be used against you as evidence. The police officers will take notes of everything you say and provide this as evidence to the Crown attorney to be used against you. 

If you are charged with a criminal offence: 

When an accused attends to court for their first court appearance, if it is ready, they will be provided with disclosure. Disclosure is a package that includes all the evidence that was used by the police to lay the charge against the accused. This will include all of the police officers notes, any statements taken by witnesses/victims, DVD's of footage from security cameras/filmed statements, etc. In the Youth Criminal Justice System the Crown attorney is obligated to provide all disclosure to a young person who has been charged with an offence. 



Evidence has a significant role in the daily works of our criminal justice system. It ensures that all useful and valuable information gets placed in front of decision makers, like the Judge or Jury. The methods we use in court proceedings today have been developed over many decades, and attempt to ensure a fair and unbiased resolution to all legal disputes.

Information in this blogpost gathered from:
"Rules of Evidence: A Practical Approach" by: Doug Cochran, Michael Gulycz, & Mary Ann Kelly
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Canadian_Criminal_Evidence

This blog post was written by Shawn Malik, a volunteer on JFCY's PLE team. All legal content was reviewed by a JFCY staff lawyer.  

Abuse at home - how can I get help?

Maria is twelve years old. Her mother has just married Craig. Maria has a good relationship with her mom, but is becoming aware her mother could be in an unhealthy relationship. Craig swears a lot and calls her mother inappropriate words. Before the marriage, Craig had hit her mom on several occasions and her mom tried to leave. Maria’s mom told her that she has chosen to be with Craig due to her financial situation.

Since the marriage, Craig has moved into the household. Maria is rebellious about this new adjustment as she does not like Craig. Maria’s mom has not told anyone about Craig’s abuse and has told Maria not to tell anyone. At this point, Craig has never physically hit Maria but has been verbally abusive.

However, one night, Maria’s mom is not home because she is working a night shift. Craig, who has cooked dinner for Maria, is telling her to come eat food. Maria expresses that she is not hungry and does not want to eat. Craig becomes agitated at this and orders her to eat her dinner. He yells at her and calls inappropriate words such as “stupid brat” and even threatens her with “if you don’t eat I am going to kill you.”

Maria has now become frightened about the current situation. She decides to hide in the attic of the house. Craig is unable to control his anger.  He eventually finds Maria and hits her.  He leaves bruises on her body. Craig also threatens Maria not to tell her mother or he “will kill her.”

Maria, unsure as to what to do, decides to tell her mother when Craig is not home. However, her mother does not believe she is telling the truth. Maria has reasons to believe that Craig would hit her again when her mother is not home. Over a few months, this abuse persists when Maria’s mother is not home, leaving Maria scared and unsure as to what to do. Her mom continues not to believe her, leaving Maria left to deal with her abuse alone.

Maria considers telling her teacher at school about this abuse, but is unsure as to what can be done.  She does not want to continue living in a place where she feels unsafe.

Legal Information

This blog post covers what happens when a child feels unsafe at home, and the beginning of the process where child protection services become involved with a family.  It does not describe what happens after the first court hearing if a child is removed from home.  For more information about child welfare court from a young person’s perspective, check out this JFCY pamphlet.  For information for parents and guardians on child protection, check out Family Law Education for Women’s page on child protection.

If Maria feels unsafe at home, who can she contact?

Maria has been abused by Craig.  Abuse is harm that can take many different forms, including both words and physical actions.  Many times, abuse takes place between people who are in close relationships, like people in a sexual relationship or a parent and child.  This can make abuse very difficult to discuss and respond to.  However, no person ever deserves abuse, and regardless of whether Maria has argued with or disobeyed Craig, he has no right to hit her.

If Maria tells her teacher or another adult about the abuse, that person has a legal duty to report the situation to the Children’s Aid Society (CAS).  According to Ontario law, every member of the public must contact CAS if they have reasonable grounds to believe that a child is being abused or neglected.  CAS has the authority to investigate situations after they are contacted. This means that CAS will get in touch with the family to find out what is happening.  If necessary, they may act to make sure that the child is safe.  Even if Maria does not tell her teacher, she can contact CAS herself.

The next section discusses what happens if CAS gets involved with Maria’s family.  However, if CAS does not think that Maria needs protection, and Maria disagrees, she can apply to the court to get protection.  This is an option available to young people under 16, and it is called a “third party application.”

What happens when CAS gets involved with a family?

When CAS is contacted about child abuse, it will do an initial screening to decide whether it needs to become involved with a family.  After this screening, it may decide that the child is well cared for and that CAS doesn’t need to be involved.  It may also decide to investigate.  CAS will most likely decide to investigate in Maria’s case, and they will visit her home to talk to her, her mom, and Craig.  CAS may also talk to people lilke Maria’s teachers or the family’s neighbours.  The goal of the investigation is to determine whether Maria is in need of protection.  The fact that Craig has hit Maria is a good reason for CAS to see her as needing protection, and so is the fact that she has seen Craig hitting her mom at home.

If CAS finds that Maria needs protection, it will work with her, her mom, and Craig to solve the problem.  CAS tries not to disrupt families more than necessary , which means that Maria may be able to stay at home with her mom.  However, it will be very important for Maria’s mom to get a lawyer to help her as soon as CAS becomes involved with Maria’s family.  When CAS works with a family to ensure that a child is safe, they will ask the family to sign an agreement called a Plan of Service.  The agreement sets out exactly what is required to make sure that the child is safe.  What is in the plan will depend on what CAS sees as necessary for Maria’s safety.  If Maria’s mom is unwilling to sign the Plan of Service, or she does not follow its conditions, CAS may take Maria from her home.  For example, if CAS does not think Maria will be safe around Craig, and Maria’s mom will not consider living without Craig, this could mean that Maria can no longer live at home.  CAS has the authority to make this decision.

If CAS decides that Maria cannot live at home, they can place her with a family member, in a foster home, or in a group home.  CAS may also call the police to tell them about the abuse.  The police could lay criminal charges against Craig for assaulting Maria.  Assault is a crime that happens when one person touches another person without that person’s permission.  It is possible that Maria’s mom could also face criminal charges if the police feel that she helped Craig with the abuse or failed to properly care for Maria.

What happens if Maria is removed from her home?

If Maria is taken from home without her mom’s consent, there will be a child protection hearing in fewer than five days after removal.  A hearing is when the information in a case is heard by a judge.  The judge decides what will happen next – if Maria will go back home or if she will stay in her temporary living place.  At this hearing, a judge will decide whether Maria will continue to stay where she is placed and what will happen next.  This is NOT the final decision about where Maria will live. There will probably be a very long process until the situation is completely resolved.  Maria’s wishes will always be considered.  The judge may decide that Maria needs a lawyer, who will be appointed by the Office of the Children’s Lawyer, which is part of Ontario's Ministry of the Attorney-General.  This lawyer will represent her in the child protection process, and will talk to Maria about options available to her.  If Maria doesn’t have a lawyer, and feels she needs one, she can talk to the CAS worker who is responsible for her case.

Blog scenario by PLE Team Member and Volunteer Tracy Chen.  Legal information by JFCY.

Competing Legal Rights in the News

Right to a Fair Trial vs Religious Freedom

By Bianca Thomas, PLE Team Volunteer and UofT law student

On December 8^th, the Supreme Court of Canada heard an appeal which seeks to balance the defendant’s right to have a fair trial and a victim’s right to exercise her religious beliefs by wearing a niqab during testimony at trial. Both the right to a fair trial and the right to exercise one’s religion are protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. As a result, the court seems faced with the choice of choosing one right over the other.  The case is R v. N.S.

Lawyers for the defendant argue that it is necessary to see a witness’s face in order to assess their behaviour and how they react to questions. By allowing a witness to cover their face while testifying, lawyers are perhaps prevented from effectively questioning the witness, as they may are unable to pick up on non-verbal signals.   

However, lawyers for the victim, N.S., argue that facial expressions may often be misleading, especially where the person is of a different culture. Some witnesses, for example, may avoid eye contact because of a respect for authority, but in Canada, this would be considered suspicious. Also, by preventing a victim from wearing a niqab during testimony will potentially discourage Muslim rape victims from coming forward in the future. Not only that, but if a victim’s religious belief is sincere, and the witness believes that wearing the niqab is necessary in order to promote her faith, then it should be protected by the Charter.

The Supreme Court of Canada has not yet released its decision.

The court must engage in a careful balancing process when determining which of these rights should prevail. This could be one of the most difficult cases that the court has seen in years. What are your thoughts on this issue? Do you think that it is necessary for defence counsel to be able to see a witness’s face, or should a witness’s right to freedom of religion prevail?

For more, check out these news articles: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/court-to-decide-if-woman-can-testify-wearing-niqab-in-sexual-assault-case/article2263858/

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/judges-lawyers-clash-over-right-to-testify-with-face-covered/article2264483/