Competence and Compellability: Difference between revisions

From Criminal Law Notebook
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== Introduction ==
== Introduction ==
Any witness called to testify must have "competence" to testify and, if they are not participating voluntarily they must be "compellable".  
Any witness called to testify must have "competence" to testify. This simply means that they are legally permitted to give evidence. Certain classes of people are not considered "competent" to testify due to their personal or professional characteristics. An infant, for example, is never competent to testify.


The competence of a witness refers to whether a witness is legally permitted to testify and give evidence. The compellability of a witness refers to the power to force a competent witness to testify even if it's against their will.  
The compellability of a witness refers to the power to force a competent witness to testify even if it's against their will. If the witness is not willing to participate voluntarily they must be "compellable" before a subpoena can be issued.  


{{reflist|2}}
{{reflist|2}}
==Topics==
==Topics==
* [[Compelling Attendance of Witnesses]]
* [[Compelling Attendance of Witnesses]]

Revision as of 18:52, 23 July 2019

Introduction

Any witness called to testify must have "competence" to testify. This simply means that they are legally permitted to give evidence. Certain classes of people are not considered "competent" to testify due to their personal or professional characteristics. An infant, for example, is never competent to testify.

The compellability of a witness refers to the power to force a competent witness to testify even if it's against their will. If the witness is not willing to participate voluntarily they must be "compellable" before a subpoena can be issued.

Topics