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  Testimony is important evidence in any criminal trial. Testimony is a firsthand account given by a witness under oath during a criminal trial. There are several different types of testimony, including eyewitness testimony, expert testimony--including police officers and crime scene investigators--testimony from the defendant and character testimony.
  
  

Eyewitness Testimony

• Eyewitnesses can testify about many stages of the crime. Witnesses may have knowledge about events immediately before a crime, the discovery of a crime scene or that a crime occurred and where the defendant was before and during a crime. Another important role of eyewitnesses if they saw the defendant commit the crime is to identify him in the courtroom during the trial. There are several factors involved in accurate and credible testimony for the jury. Those factors are: perception, which is the witness's ability to observe the events he is testifying about; memory, which relates to how recently the events occurred in relation to the witness's testimony; communication, which is the witness's ability verbally convey the events to the jury; and candor, which is the witness's ability to appear truthful and credible to a jury.
  
  

Expert Testimony

• The prosecution or the defense may offer expert testimony. Expert witnesses are classified as such because they have specialized skills or advanced education, training and experience. Experts have experience in a variety of fields, including analysis of forensic evidence like fingerprints, bloodstains, DNA and ballistics; and medical experts like forensic pathologists, forensic anthropologists, forensic psychologists and medical examiners and crime scene reconstruction. Experts can testify about real evidence, procedures for analyzing evidence and the test results and provide expert opinions regarding facts, information and evidence.
  
  

Defendant's Testimony

• Defendants often choose not to testify. Testifying can be risky because it allows prosecutors to point out every minuscule inconsistency in prior statements or details. Jurors are also very critical of defendant testimony and do not always find the testimony credible. Defendants who do not testify do not always fair much better. While jurors are informed that they are not permitted to use the defendant's failure to testify against him, it happens frequently. In the end, if a defendant's attorney believes his client is believable and will leave a good impression on the jury, a defendant will testify.
  
  

Character Testimony

• Character testimony can be very useful to a defendant. The defense can present witnesses to testify regarding the defendant's character and reputation. Depending on what the defendant has been charged with, character testimony regarding the defendant's reputation for honesty and tendencies towards violence are particularly important.