Exculpatory evidence
Definition
Evidence that tends to clear a suspect of guilt. Investigators have a professional and, in many jurisdictions, a legal duty to document and disclose exculpatory findings even when they contradict the working theory of the case.
Related terms
- 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...
- Lawful interception
- Court-authorised real-time capture of the content of communications in transit, such as telephone calls, emails, or instant messages. Requires a higher legal...
- Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT)
- A bilateral or multilateral treaty under which signatory states agree to assist each other in gathering evidence for criminal investigations. MLATs define...
- Proportionality
- The legal principle, central to European human rights law and to many constitutional systems, that any interference with a fundamental right must...
- Search warrant
- A judicial order authorising officers to enter and search a specified place and seize specified items. In most systems it must describe...
Explained in
- Legal and Ethical Foundations of Cyber InvestigationsEvidence that tends to clear a suspect of guilt. Investigators have a professional and, in many jurisdictions, a legal duty to document and disclose exculpator...