Continuity of exhibit
Definition
The principle, applied in English and Welsh courts and reflected in PACE Code B, that an exhibit must be shown to have been in uninterrupted or adequately explained custody from seizure to court. Loss of continuity is one of the most common grounds for challenging physical evidence.
Related terms
- Admissibility
- Whether a piece of evidence is permitted to be placed before the fact-finder at all. Admissibility is a threshold question, decided by...
- Authentication
- The process of establishing that a document is what it purports to be. Under the US FRE Rule 901, the proponent must...
- Chain of custody
- The documented chronological record of who collected, handled, transferred, and examined a piece of evidence. For digital evidence, chain of custody includes...
- Probative value
- The strength of the evidence's tendency to prove or disprove a fact in issue. High probative value means the evidence substantially changes...
- Weight of evidence
- The persuasive value the fact-finder assigns to evidence after it has been admitted. Weight is a jury or magistrate question, not a...
Explained in
- Chain of Custody as a Legal ConstructThe principle, applied in English and Welsh courts and reflected in PACE Code B, that an exhibit must be shown to have been in uninterrupted or adequately expl...