Summary Criminology Unit 3 Write-Up Model Answers from AC 2.4
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Course
Crime scene to courtroom
Institution
WJEC
These are the answers I used to get Grade A* , a score of 97/100 on my Year 13 Unit 3 Criminology test. I made some changes during the exam, but these answers were the main ideas I relied on.
Ac2.4 Assess key influences affecting the outcome of criminal cases
Evidence is important in all cases. In reaching their verdict, the jury or magistrates must consider all the
physical and testimonial evidence of witnesses presented in court. For a case to go to court, the police or other
investigators must first provide enough evidence to convince the crown prosecution service that there is a case
for the suspect, and the CPS must be confident that there is a realistic prospect of a success prosecution. They
must believe that they are more likely than not to secure a conviction when the case is tired.
Once the case goes to court, the prosecution will present evidence and arguments against the defendant. The
defence will challenge the prosecution case, cross-examine the prosecutions witnesses on their evidence and
presenting evidence of their own. At the end of the trial, the prosecution must have convinced the jury or
magistrates that the accused is guilty beyond reasonable doubt on all aspects of the charge. Otherwise, the
must be acquitted.
In criminal trials, the accused are innocent until proven guilty. The prosecution carries the burden of having to
prove their guilt 'beyond all reasonable doubt' whilst the defence must prove that the prosecution's
arguments are insufficient for a conviction. Evidence has a significant impact on the verdict that the jury comes
back with. If the jury has any doubt about whether the accused is guilty, they must come back with a guilty
verdict. Therefore, if the evidence is insufficient or flawed, there is a high chance of the jury passing a non-
guilty verdict.
Witnesses are people who have seen a crime take place, they may be able to provide details of the incident
such as what happened or what the perpetrator looked like. They Can be used by both the defence and
prosecution to help strengthen their case but is it up to the jury to decide how much reliance they place on
their testimonies. Both parties cross-examination the witnesses about the evidence which they have given.
Witness testimonies can have an impact on the verdict that the jury decides in a trial. If the witness is shown to
be truthful and gives compelling evidence, this can sway the verdict one way or the other. The same is true for
if the witness is proven to be unreliable and untruthful, However, the jury is not just influenced by the actual
content of the evidence that the witness gives but by the witness who gives it for example Brodsky et al found
that the jurors can be prejudiced towards witnesses, with factors such as their likeability and confidence
affecting how much weight they give their evidence. jurors may not believe witnesses who are truthful
providing valid evidence based on their gender, ethnicity, class or age, or their appearance, demeanour,
accent, or personality. This can affect how much weight juries give to their evidence and therefore affect the
outcome of a case which can lead to a miscarriage of justice.
Expert witnesses are people with specialist knowledge who give evidence during a trial. For example,
pathologists and forensic scientists are expert witnesses. Due to their special expertise, jurors tend to rely
heavily on the evidence they provide when deciding a verdict. However, how expert witnesses present this
evidence and how jurors interpret it, can have a negative impact on the outcome of the case. For example, in
the Sally Clark case.
What happened?
Sally Clark's two sons both died at only a couple of weeks old, 3 years apart. She was arrested and at her trial,
Professor Roy Meadow appeared as a witness, telling the jury there is a "one in 73million" chance of two
children dying from cot deaths in an affluent family.
Professor Meadow's evidence had a major flaw. There was no evidence, but statistics were used to prove that
she must be guilty because the chances of her not being are so slim. Because he was a well-known expert, the
jury trusted him. Similar case with Angela Cannings and Trupti Patel. He gave evidence in all of these cases
which judges in their appeals later said was "manifestly wrong" and "grossly misleading.”
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