The chain of custody is the most important process of evidence documentation. It plays an important role in convincing the court of law that the evidence is authentic or the same one that is seized at the crime scene.

Every link or step in the chain is crucial, as any mishandling of evidence could lead to its exclusion in a court case, making it unacceptable.

However, chain of custody is not immune to mistakes that can ultimately impact the result of the case.

These mistakes can happen at any point in collecting, transferring, storing, and testing evidence. For example, if a person is found in possession of an illegal substance but police didn’t document the description properly or keep track of how it changed hangs on the way to a lab for testing. That’s a serious chain of custody error. Other examples include improper labeling, poor evidence storage, and lost or misplaced evidence.

Such mistakes can make the integrity of the evidence questionable. Even worse, the evidence could be lost.

In this blog, we will discuss such mistakes occurring during the chain of custody procedures that can impact the result of the case.

Not Using the Right Evidence Bags:

It is important to preserve the integrity of evidence as soon as it is found and collected. Any changes to evidence due to handling, storage, and transportation can impact its integrity. One such tool to address these concerns is an evidence bag.

Although these bags look like ordinary bags, they play a key role in maintaining the chain of custody and protecting the reliability of evidence throughout investigations. However, not all evidence bags are the same.

Make sure to choose the one that comes with features like tamper-evident seals and labeling. For example, an evidence bag with tamper-proof seal will reveal any attempt to open or temper with the bag. Also, see if the bag has a “write on” space or label to let you record important details.

The other factors to consider are the durability and size of an evidence bag.

Mislabeling:

Mislabeling evidence is a big mistake in chain of custody procedures. If evidence is labeled wrong, it creates doubt about where it came from and can harm the whole case. Sometimes, law enforcement can accidentally describe the evidence incorrectly, causing problems in court. To avoid this, it’s crucial to have strict labeling rules and give thorough training to everyone handling the evidence. This helps make sure that the information on the evidence is accurate and reliable, making the legal process smoother and more trustworthy.

Improper Storage:

Improper storage of evidence poses a significant threat to its integrity.

This is true for both physical evidence like objects and digital evidence on computers. If the storage conditions are not right, evidence might get harmed or changed, making it useless in court. To avoid this, it’s important to set up efficient storage rules, like controlling the temperature and humidity. This helps keep the evidence safe and reliable from the moment it’s collected until it’s needed in court. Proper storage is a key part of making sure evidence keeps its value during the whole chain of custody.

Not Protecting it from Being Lost or Misplaced:

Losing or misplacing evidence can impact the outcome of the case. Thanks to the negligence, poor organizations, and the lack of a good tracking system.

To avoid this problem, it’s crucial to have a strong tracking system using barcodes or RFID technology. Regular checks are also important to make sure the evidence stays where it should be throughout the whole process. These strategies help prevent the loss or misplacement of evidence, making sure it stays secure and reliable during the legal proceedings.

Making it Vulnerable to Unauthorized Access:

Unauthorized access to evidence is a big problem in legal cases. If unauthorized or people will malicious intentions get access to the evidence, it can lead to tampering or contamination.

For example, imagine a crime scene where a police officer forgets to secure the evidence locker. If someone unauthorized gets in and messes with the evidence, it could harm the case.

This makes the evidence less trustworthy. To stop this from happening, strict rules must be in place. Only authorized personnel should be allowed into areas where evidence is kept, and everyone involved in handling evidence should go through thorough background checks. These measures are important to make sure that only the right people handle the evidence, keeping it safe and reliable during the entire process.

Not Documenting:

Having the right documentation is important in the chain of custody. It creates a clear and solid record of how the evidence was collected and what happened to it along the way to the court. To avoid this mistake, it’s crucial to have standard procedures for documentation. This includes writing down detailed information about where the evidence was collected, the dates and times, and the people who were there.

By making sure to document everything properly, it ensures that the evidence’s journey is well-documented and can be trusted when presented in court.

Not Controlling Who Handles the Evidence:

Not having good control over who touches the evidence during its journey in the chain of custody can create problems. As we said, if too many people can access the evidence freely, there’s a higher chance it might get contaminated or tampered with. To avoid this, it’s important to put strict rules in place. This includes having clear controls and permissions and making sure only the right people can handle the evidence at each step. By doing this, the risk of mishandling goes down.

The Bottom Line:

Keeping evidence safe and reliable in legal cases is super important. To make sure evidence can be trusted in court, we need to avoid mistakes like labeling things wrong, storing them poorly, tampering, losing them, making them accessible to all, not documenting the details, etc.

Setting robust protocols, providing comprehensive training, and using technology are key steps towards creating a secure and unbroken chain of custody. This way, the legal system can uphold its commitment to justice and fairness.