Forensic Animation Admissibility

A major concern for lawyers when embarking on a forensic animation is whether or not they will be admitted in a court of law. There have been several cases where an animation was rejected by a court because it is very harmful or inaccurate in your event display, however, today it is very rare to hear of a movie that has not accepted by the courts. This raises the possibility that the two courts have become more accepting entertainment or more forensic animators meet the eligibility criteria for demonstrative proof (or both).

Here are a series of questions that the lawyer should ask about the preparation of a forensic animation. These issues must be addressed by choosing to enter a forensic animation as demonstrative evidence. Without join one or more of these rules can not immediately mean an animation is rejected, however, it increases the probability that the animation will be thrown or weight of evidence are applied respectively.

1. How relevant forensic animation here?
Relevance is a key factor for a forensic animation is entered in a court of law. There must be a clear objective for animation because it can help drive home a key point or demonstrate the timing of an event that otherwise might be difficult to do in words alone. It is often important to have a witness to testify that animation is a good representation of that product or, in the case of an expert, that animation can communicate better testimony / writing expert reports.

2. Who really prepared forensic animation? The proof is produced from a reliable source?
The forensic animation can be prepared by a person or persons in a company. In all cases, it is imperative to understand the qualifications of those who actually created the animation. In each case, the role of the expert in the preparation and animation examination should be confirmed to determine its authenticity.

Software, processes and methods used to create the forensic entertainment should be discussed.

3. The evidential value of forensic events outweigh the risk of injury? Is it useful that the judge in the search for truth?
Always consider the potential impact of an animation on the jury. The subsequent impact and following events are the result of what happened before impact. Therefore, it is often necessary just to show the events leading to the impact. Of course, there are different approaches in the legal community about the graphical level of detail that is needed in forensic animation. Have legal realistic animation that is visually appealing is certainly acceptable, however, graphics "hyper-real" are not.

Also, during the presentation of forensic animation court, there should be no sound or editorial comment, except the usual descriptors and titles.

 

4. What was used as the basis for the animation and how it can be verified? Has anyone checked the data? Was the data entered correctly?
The accuracy of a forensic animation is essential because it can lead to inaccuracies animated being inadmissible in court. There must be a substantial contribution to the placement and position of objects in a scene. For example, if a crime took place in a room, there should be enough data to recreate the environment as a 3D model the same size, scale, and the environment. This can be based on photographs, measuring total station data, the testimony of witnesses or subsequent visits to the scene.

Verification of forensic animation data is also very important for precision adjustment. The facilitator must be able to prove that animation is based on data reports and testimonies to him. Forensic Animation must be demonstrated in accordance with the testimony of witnesses or expert witnesses. In many cases, the witness or expert must be an essential part of the verification process.

 
5. Does the animation was prepared in time for appropriate disclosure?
The other party has the opportunity to evaluate forensic animation and react accordingly. Make sure the host has enough time to prepare, verify, and then pack the animation so it can be served before the due date. Changes, changes, different scenarios and further work should be taken into account for delivery.

As more forensic animations make their way to the court, it may cause some to take liberties with the eligibility criteria.