A basic evidentiary prerequisite for a witness is that the witness must be competent. For this assignment, you will write a paper that identifies the basic requirements for a person to qualify as a competent witness. Your paper should address the following.
What are the three basic requirements for a person to qualify as a competent witness? Be sure to provide examples.
Research the history of competent witnesses in court and describe the evolution of legal procedures that regulate practice with respect to witness competency.
Identify statutes regarding witness competency. Then, describe the procedures by which children are aided as witnesses.
Explain how this requirement in #3, above, protects the integrity of a case while gathering facts to use as evidence.
Explain how these laws relate to historical reasons why U.S. rules are more restrictive than those established by other countries. (In answering this last question, you may consider evidence law generally, and not only those laws specific to the competency of witnesses.)
Paper Instructions:
Your paper should be 2-3 pages in length (not including the required title and reference pages).