What Is the Role of an Expert Witness in a Drug Case
It's no secret that when a case goes to court, both parties will exhaust all their means just to win their case. In achieving this objective, many arguments are raised by both sides, and they need evidence to provide support. One strategy they can use is using an expert witness. A person who provides court evidence beyond a jury's normal knowledge and experience is called an expert witness. This person is obliged by law to be impartial, and to express his expert opinion based on confirmable fact. The credibility standards set for expert defense witnesses are usually higher than those for prosecution witnesses.
In criminal court cases that involve drugs, police officers usually stand as expert witnesses providing the value of the drugs, along with the amount that is compatible with personal use. Such information is based on a minimum of six years' experience. When police officers give street values of drugs, they usually give the highest possible value for the smallest possible unit. Such values are based on information reported by informants, defendants in custody and sometimes on undercover agents' "controlled buys."
But there are cases in which officers reject prices given by defendants, which are lower than what's considered the norm. Click here for more details on this. When seizing profits from drug trafficking, the courts automatically presume that a person convicted of a drug trafficking offense would have already taken as profit the street value of any drugs confiscated.
When a case involves cannabis cultivation, people who grow more than a few plants will probably face a charge of intent to supply, and custodial sentences are usually given to people who are growing the plants for personal consumption. Sample plans, even while they're not always representative of the crop, are usually used for determining potential yields. More of this are described at http://itlaw.wikia.com/wiki/Expert_witness. When cannabis plants are enough to provide 1-2 days' supply, the police usually charge the grower is charged with intent to supply.
When to Have an Officer as Expert Witness
Before trial begins, the party that will use a witness must determine if he or she will be identified as an expert. If the witness is about giving a lay opinion, the party only has to follow Rule 701 (Opinion Testimony by Lay Witnesses).
But if the Expert Witness Police Use of Force is going to express opinions on matters that are not within the realm of common experience, then he should be presented as an expert witness. In such a case, the party will be following Rule 702.
If a police office is determined as a lay witness yet offers opinion testimony, an objection by the other party may be warranted, since expert testimony is improperly provided as lay opinions.
In criminal court cases that involve drugs, police officers usually stand as expert witnesses providing the value of the drugs, along with the amount that is compatible with personal use. Such information is based on a minimum of six years' experience. When police officers give street values of drugs, they usually give the highest possible value for the smallest possible unit. Such values are based on information reported by informants, defendants in custody and sometimes on undercover agents' "controlled buys."
But there are cases in which officers reject prices given by defendants, which are lower than what's considered the norm. Click here for more details on this. When seizing profits from drug trafficking, the courts automatically presume that a person convicted of a drug trafficking offense would have already taken as profit the street value of any drugs confiscated.
When a case involves cannabis cultivation, people who grow more than a few plants will probably face a charge of intent to supply, and custodial sentences are usually given to people who are growing the plants for personal consumption. Sample plans, even while they're not always representative of the crop, are usually used for determining potential yields. More of this are described at http://itlaw.wikia.com/wiki/Expert_witness. When cannabis plants are enough to provide 1-2 days' supply, the police usually charge the grower is charged with intent to supply.
When to Have an Officer as Expert Witness
Before trial begins, the party that will use a witness must determine if he or she will be identified as an expert. If the witness is about giving a lay opinion, the party only has to follow Rule 701 (Opinion Testimony by Lay Witnesses).
But if the Expert Witness Police Use of Force is going to express opinions on matters that are not within the realm of common experience, then he should be presented as an expert witness. In such a case, the party will be following Rule 702.
If a police office is determined as a lay witness yet offers opinion testimony, an objection by the other party may be warranted, since expert testimony is improperly provided as lay opinions.