Jury Instruction - 4.2 Impeachment Of Witnesses Inconsistent Statement And Felony Conviction

In the US, a party has the option of discrediting a witness through impeachment by cross-examining the witness about facts that reflect poorly on the witness's credibility or, in some cases, by introducing extrinsic evidence that reflects negatively on the witness's truthfulness or knowledge.

Impeaching a Witness by Showing Bias or Personal Interest A traditional and common-sense way to impeach a witness is to show that he or she is biased against one of the parties or has a personal interest in the outcome of the case. The relationship between the parties may be good or bad.

Under the U.S. Constitution, the prosecution must disclose to the defendant all evidence that proves guilt as well as all evidence that proves innocence. Evidence generally falls into three categories, inculpatory, exculpatory, and impeachment.

First, impeach with only one fact at a time. Second, when impeaching with prior sworn testimony, you must read the questions and answers verbatim. Third, be mindful of your tone. Fourth, do not impeach with facts taken out of context.

All Impeachment Evidence is Discoverable in Response to a Specific Request Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(b). A party must disclose impeachment evidence in response to a specific discovery request.

The five basic methods are: use of contradiction, proof of bad character, proof of inconsistency, proof of bias, or proof of diminished capacity.

The declarant of a hearsay statement which is admitted in evidence is in effect a witness. His credibility should in fairness be subject to impeachment and support as though he had in fact testified.

In the US, a party has the option of discrediting a witness through impeachment by cross-examining the witness about facts that reflect poorly on the witness's credibility or, in some cases, by introducing extrinsic evidence that reflects negatively on the witness's truthfulness or knowledge.

So, again, the way to discredit a witness is to bring up prior inconsistent statements that they made. The way to discredit a witness is to call other witness or cross-examine other witnesses and bring up key points about your main witness's testimony and impeach them through over witness statements.