Demonstrative Evidence in Criminal Cases

Demonstrative evidence in criminal cases can make or break the prosecution cases. Our ability as legal nurse consultants to think visually makes us invaluable to attorneys.

How do you use this skill with litigation?

Prepare Demonstrative Evidence with the End in Mind

The first step is to put yourself in the position of the juror. What do you want the juror to be able to see and understand as a result of your work?

As the attorney and you work on strategy, your thoughts begin to focus on how best to illustrate the evidence. Although you might have some graphic arts skills, working with a medical illustrator is usually the best solution. They are trained visual problem solvers.

Medical illustrators are professional artists who’ve gone through advanced education in life science and visual communication.

The medical illustrations can take the form of posters mounted on foam core board (old school and still effective), computer animations, colorized illustrations and more. One of their purposes is to illustrate normal anatomy, for example, in contrast to injuries and surgeries.

The LNC, attorney, and medical illustrator work together to support the expert testimony in criminal or civil cases.

What does the jury need to know in order to come to the verdict the attorney is looking for in this case and how do you assist in preparing demonstrative evidence to present it? Your role might be to work with the medical illustrator, to teach the attorney, or to teach the jury through a summary of the medical records.

What do you want the juror to be able to see and understand? Here is an example. In a spinal injury gunshot wound case, is it to:

• Understand the anatomy of the spine?
• Depict the path of the bullet? Pat Iyer MSN RN LNCC has helped attorneys understand medical issues since 1987. She is president of The Pat Iyer Group.Learn more about how you can assist attorneys with demonstrative evidence by attending our virtual conference, Path of the Bullet: A Guide to Criminal Cases. Attend live or order the recordings.