Witness Handling
Witness handling is the skill of managing the witnesses you are calling to support your case. The term applies to the interactions with witnesses during the pre-trial stage, in the courtroom, and following their testimony.
Generally, witnesses can be classed into (one or more of) the following categories:
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Fact witnesses;
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Vulnerable witnesses, including children, persons with disabilities, persons with mental health concerns, witnesses who also are a victim of crimes that form part of the case;
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Accomplices, also are known in international criminal law as ‘insider’ witnesses;
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Experts;
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Overview witnesses; and
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Investigators/Police Officers.
Dealing with each category of witnesses requires specific training and expertise.
In the courtroom, witnesses also adopt different demeanors, depending on their motivations, characters, and/or emotions. For example, witnesses may be either (or a combination of): honest, forgetful, lying, evasive, argumentative, and/or hostile.
Witness handling encompasses the skill of managing these categories of witness in the courtroom.
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