Visual Aids in the Court Room.

1. Graphics & Documentation 11 - 6 1
Visual Aids in The Court Room.
Graphics & Documentation 11 – 6
Everest University Online
Instructor: Jennifer Bourgeois
Timothy Babcock
There are different types of visual aids that enter into the courtroom setting. Visual aids
help the Jury better understand the facts of a case, and the events related to the case. Visual aids
are important to the crime scene investigator, but how? What are some of the mediums of visual
aids? How are they used in court?

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Visual Aids in The Court Room.
Why would a crime scene investigator need to know about visual aids for the courtroom?
A crime scene investigator needs to know and understand visual aids because often they are the
very ones required to put them together as a presentation. Often the public prosecutors are too
busy with several cases at one time, and so cannot accomplish the task of preparing visual aids.
(2004. Hawks, Carol. B.S. & Goodall, Jean. Ph.D. “Crime Scene Documentation: A Realistic
Approach to Investigating Crime Scenes”. Criminal Investigation Series.)
What are some of the mediums or tools for displaying visual aids? Please provide a
comprehensive list, explaining how each item can be utilized. Most visual aids-(Demonstrative)
are suited to the nature of each case. Visual aids are significant to the case at hand, and enhance
the verbal testimony. Some examples of visual aids are, time lines of events, color photographs,
computer generated reenactments, graphs, charts, and more. These are demonstrative visual
aids. Time lines of events demonstrate exactly how events unfolded during the commission of a
crime like murder. Sometimes the defendant will argue that their presence at the scene is not
possible. Color photographs allow the jury to see the scene as it actually existed in real time.
Photographs allow the jury to see certain elements, and other important factors at a crime scene.
Reenactments give the jury the ability to see live events in action as they unfolded. Other
mediums like graphs, and charts, can demonstrate the existence of chemicals, or the amounts of
poisons used in a homicide. Certain mediums are used in demonstrative visuals, like a poster
board where an enlarged image is displayed so that jury members can see details in the crime
scene. Other items that can be displayed on a poster board are legal documents like birth
certificates, hand writing exemplars, bank transactions, etc.

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Visual Aids in The Court Room.
Computers are also mediums in demonstrative evidence, while using 3-D animation
software. This software can demonstrate how a blow to the back of a victim’s head was
executed. It can also demonstrate the positions of the individuals as the attack to place.
How has the use of power point changed courtroom presentations? What are the
advantages and disadvantages of using it in the courtroom? Power point is a computer program
that allows presentations to become computerized slide shows. This utility has many options for
visual attractiveness. Different colored backgrounds, special effects, font size, insert options,
and much more. The advantages are that this program makes display easy, and it offers
functionality. Some disadvantages would be the distraction from the main points in the
document itself. Bright, or several colors, fancy word art, and others could be very distracting to
the jury. (2004. Hawks, Carol. B.S. & Goodall, Jean. Ph.D. “Crime Scene Documentation: A
Realistic Approach to Investigating Crime Scenes.”)

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Visual Aids in The Court Room.
(2004. Hawks, Carol. B.S. & Goodall, Jean. Ph.D. “Crime Scene Documentation: A
Realistic Approach to Investigating Crime Scenes”. Criminal Investigation Series.)