Question

Describe and explain the roles of the different types of witnesses, such as the following:

Lay witnesses

Expert witnesses

Law enforcement witnesses  

Answer 1

• 1.A lay witness, also known simply as a “witness,” is any person who gives testimony in a case, but who is not an expert. In a personal injury case, a lay witness may be the plaintiff, the defendant, or someone who saw the accident in which the plaintiff was injured.
• A lay witness may also be someone whose input is necessary for the judge or jury to determine the appropriate amount of damages, such as the spouse of the injured plaintiff testifying about loss of consortium issues in the household that are caused by the plaintiff’s injury. Most witnesses in torts cases are lay witnesses.
• 2. An expert witness is an individual who holds a specialized knowledge in a particular educational field concerning the case. For example, an expert witness can be a doctor who is well-versed in a particular field of medicine.
• As an expert witness the individual will use his or her advanced knowledge of a particular subject to elucidate on a piece of information regarding the trial to facilitate an appropriate verdict.
• The overriding duty of an expert witness is to provide independent, impartial and unbiased evidence to the court or tribunal.
• 3.A witness for the prosecution is used in state or federal criminal court cases. These witnesses are called to provide testimony in support of the prosecution's case against the accused. Law enforcement officers and various experts are often called to serve as witness for the prosecution.
• Law enforcement professionals are highly qualified to provide counsel, prepare legal documentation and serve as expert witnesses on cases regarding the actions of police, sheriffs, and law enforcement agents, as well as prison authorities.
  
• Representative cases include police practices and procedures, community policing, juvenile justice, in-custody death, prison guards and authorities, racial profiling, crime scene analysis, the F.B.I., as well as the use of equipment such as traffic radar, polygraph and lie detector tests, pepper spray, and stun guns/TASERs.