
Character in the Criminal Trial
Mike Redmayne(Author)
Oxford University Press
Published on 19. March 2015
Book
Hardback
318 pages
978-0-19-922889-8 (ISBN)
Description
If a defendant is on trial for a crime such as burglary, to what extent should the fact that he has a previous conviction for burglary feature in his trial? Should the prosecution be allowed to tell the jury about the previous conviction as evidence that the defendant is more likely to have committed burglary? Should the judge give the defendant a longer sentence because he has a previous conviction? These are the fundamental questions examined in Character in the Criminal Trial.
Including an in-depth analysis of the character evidence provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, this book assesses the arguments for and against using character evidence to prove a defendant's guilt. It explores the sentencing provisions in the same Act, as well as the general use of criminal record and other character evidence to aggravate and mitigate sentence.
Issues examined in the course of the book include: psychological and philosophical debates about the stability of character; criminological research on recidivism and the nature of criminal careers; ethical debates about the use of prior behaviour to prove current or future offending; the process of reasoning underlying the use of bad character evidence; whether bad character evidence is prejudicial; and the use of risk assessment instruments to classify offenders as dangerous. By combining insights from law, psychology, criminology, and philosophy, Redmayne reassesses the use of character in the criminal trial and reflects on the significance of the law's increasing emphasis on character.
Including an in-depth analysis of the character evidence provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, this book assesses the arguments for and against using character evidence to prove a defendant's guilt. It explores the sentencing provisions in the same Act, as well as the general use of criminal record and other character evidence to aggravate and mitigate sentence.
Issues examined in the course of the book include: psychological and philosophical debates about the stability of character; criminological research on recidivism and the nature of criminal careers; ethical debates about the use of prior behaviour to prove current or future offending; the process of reasoning underlying the use of bad character evidence; whether bad character evidence is prejudicial; and the use of risk assessment instruments to classify offenders as dangerous. By combining insights from law, psychology, criminology, and philosophy, Redmayne reassesses the use of character in the criminal trial and reflects on the significance of the law's increasing emphasis on character.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
612 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-922889-8 (9780199228898)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Mike Redmayne
Character in the Criminal Trial
E-Book
03/2015
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€64.49
Available for download

Mike Redmayne
Character in the Criminal Trial
E-Book
03/2015
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€64.49
Available for download
Person
Mike Redmayne holds a chair in the Law Department at the London School of Economics. He has written widely on criminal evidence and criminal procedure. His previous books include Expert Evidence and Criminal Justice (2001) and, with Andrew Ashworth, The Criminal Process (2010).
Author
Professor of LawProfessor of Law, London School of Economics and Political Science
Content
Preface and Acknowledgements ; 1. Introduction ; 2. The Relevance of Character ; 3. Character and Prejudice ; 4. The Ethics of Character Evidence ; 5. Propensity's History: English Law before the Criminal Justice Act 2003 ; 6. Understanding Propensity Evidence ; 7. Propensity Evidence under the Criminal Justice Act 2003 ; 8. Propensity, Coincidence, and Acquitted Misconduct ; 9. Character and Credibility ; 10. Good Character ; 11. Punishing Character ; 12. Dangerous Characters ; 13, Conclusion