What are the 4 types of criminal evidence?

Asked by: Lyda Simonis IV  |  Last update: February 2, 2026
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The four main types of criminal evidence are Physical (Real), Testimonial, Documentary, and Demonstrative, with digital evidence often considered a key subset of documentary or physical evidence, and evidence categorized by its nature as direct or circumstantial. Real evidence involves tangible items (weapons, DNA), testimonial evidence comes from witnesses, documentary evidence includes written records (emails, contracts), and demonstrative evidence visually explains facts (maps, charts).

What are the 4 categories of evidence?

The four main types of evidence, especially in legal and academic contexts, are Testimonial (spoken/written statements), Documentary (written records), Physical/Real (tangible items), and Demonstrative (visual aids like charts/diagrams). Other categorizations exist, like evidence for arguments (anecdotal, descriptive, correlational, causal) or textual evidence (quoting, paraphrasing).
 

What are the four pieces of evidence?

The Four P's of Evidence. The four P's of evidence include people, physical, parts, and positions.

What are the 4 classifications of crime?

Crimes are generally graded into four categories: felonies, misdemeanors, felony-misdemeanors, and infractions. Often the criminal intent element affects a crime's grading.

What are 5 examples of evidence?

Some common examples of direct evidence include:

  • Footage of the crime being committed.
  • Fingerprints on an instrument used to commit the crime.
  • Digital evidence of a crime, such as files on a computer.
  • Testimony from a witness who saw the crime take place.

Types of Evidence | Criminal Evidence Law

18 related questions found

What are the 7 types of evidence?

Types of Evidence

  • Direct Evidence. Direct evidence is straightforward and, if believed, proves a fact without requiring any inference or presumption. ...
  • Circumstantial Evidence. ...
  • Physical Evidence. ...
  • Testimonial Evidence. ...
  • Documentary Evidence. ...
  • Digital Evidence. ...
  • Expert Witness Evidence.

What is the most reliable evidence in court?

Primary Evidence: Primary evidence, also known as best evidence, constitutes the most reliable evidence available, often the object itself or a substantiated statement about it. Secondary Evidence: Secondary evidence is reproduced from an original document or source, such as a photocopy or oral statement.

What are the four core crimes?

ICL outlines four main categories of international crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.

What are the 4 types of offenses?

Offences against person, property or state. Personal offences, fraudulent offences. Violent offences, sexual offences. Indictable/non-indictable offences etc.

What is a level 4 crime?

So, exactly what is a 4th Degree felony then? In states who apply this category of crimes, it is the least serious type of felony offense that a defendant can be charged with and is one step above the most serious level of misdemeanor offenses.

What are the 4 types of evidence?

The four main types of evidence, especially in legal and academic contexts, are Testimonial (spoken/written statements), Documentary (written records), Physical/Real (tangible items), and Demonstrative (visual aids like charts/diagrams). Other categorizations exist, like evidence for arguments (anecdotal, descriptive, correlational, causal) or textual evidence (quoting, paraphrasing).
 

What is type 3 evidence?

Type 3 evidence focuses on 'causal impact' which means it tells us whether an activity causes a difference in outcomes. TASO's mission is to improve lives through evidence-based practice in higher education, helping people: enter higher education. get a good degree. progress to further study or employment.

What types of evidence can be used in court?

Evidence can take the form of testimony, documents, photographs, videos, voice recordings, DNA testing, or other tangible objects. Courts cannot admit all evidence, as evidence must be admissible under that jurisdiction's rules of evidence (see below) in order to be presented to court.

What are the 4 levels of evidence?

I - Evidence from large representative population samples. II - Evidence from small, well designed but not necessarily representative samples. III - Evidence from non-representative surveys, case reports. IV - Evidence from expert committee reports or opinions and/or clinical experience of respected authorities.

What are the four standards of evidence?

Under ESSA there are four tiers of evidence: Strong, Moderate, Promising, and Demonstrates a Rationale. Evidence ratings are assigned to a research study based on a variety of factors related to the methodology and analytic approach that was used (e.g., study design, sample size).

What are the 4 sources of evidence?

That's why these four types of evidence are crucially important - written, visual, oral and artefacts - but remember never take anything at face value, always ask why.

What is the burden of proof in a criminal case?

The burden of proof in a criminal case rests entirely and solely on the prosecution. This means the government, typically represented by the District Attorney, State's Attorney, or U.S. Attorney, has the responsibility to prove the defendant's guilt.

What are the 8 focus crimes?

"8 focus crimes" typically refers to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program's Part I offenses in the U.S. (murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, theft, vehicle theft, arson) or, in the Philippines, the Philippine National Police (PNP) list (murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, carnapping of vehicles/motorcycles). These lists cover serious, frequent crimes that law enforcement tracks closely, though the specific categories differ slightly between systems.
 

What are the 5 status offenses?

A status offense is a nondelinquent (and noncriminal) act that is illegal for underage individuals (usually age 17 or younger), but not for adults. There are five main types of status offenses: 1) truancy, 2) running away from home, 3) violating curfew, 4) violating underage liquor laws, and 5) ungovernability.

What are the 4 C's of the criminal justice system?

The Four C's: Cops, Courts, Corrections – and Citizens – Introduction to the U.S. Criminal Justice System.

What are the 5 types of crimes?

Five common types of crime include Violent Crimes, Property Crimes, White-Collar Crimes, Organized Crime, and Public Order Crimes, though categories can overlap, encompassing offenses like homicide (violent), burglary (property), fraud (white-collar), drug trafficking (organized/public order), and cybercrimes (cross-category).
 

What are the 4 dimensions of crime?

The legal dimension (a law must be broken). The victim dimension (someone or something must be targeted). The offender dimension (someone must do the crime). The spatial dimension (the crime must happen somewhere).

What is the hardest thing to prove in court?

The hardest things to prove in court involve intent, causation (especially in medical cases where multiple factors exist), proving insanity, and overcoming the lack of physical evidence or uncooperative victims, often seen in sexual assault or domestic violence cases. Proving another person's mental state or linking a specific harm directly to negligence, rather than underlying conditions, requires strong expert testimony and overcoming common doubts. 

Can screenshots of messages be used as evidence?

Yes, screenshots of messages can be used as evidence, but they are often considered weak or unreliable on their own because they can be easily edited, cropped, or taken out of context, making them difficult to authenticate; courts prefer original messages with complete metadata (dates, times, sender info) and often require extra proof, like testimony or forensic analysis, to confirm they are genuine. 

What is the strongest type of evidence?

Direct evidence is the strongest type of evidence as it can prove that something happened and link someone to an incident. Direct evidence can be CCTV footage, eyewitnesses or digital and physical evidence. For example, an individual makes a social media post targeting another employee.