Evaluating the impact of different formats in the presentation of trauma evidence in court: a pilot study

The ways in which experts present their findings in criminal courts can potentially influence how that evidence is understood by members of the court. A pilot survey of 60 men and women, of different ages, and from different legal and non-legal backgrounds, compared multiple formats of evidence presentation to gauge comprehension of that evidence. The addition of visual aids significantly improved the comprehension of verbal evidence. The combination of verbal presentation and a three dimension (3D) print of the skull was best understood by the majority of participants (93%), followed by verbal description and a photograph of the 3D print (80%) and verbal description with autopsy photographs of the injuries (71%).