Evidence integrity is as critical as placing criminals behind bars or doing justice to the innocent. That’s why the chain of custody is important in any criminal case, especially when handling digital evidence. If the integrity of evidence is compromised due to mishandling, data manipulation, or unauthorized access, it can be challenged in court, leading to case dismissal.
According to the bill HB 287 introduced by Rep. Sam Garrison of Clay County:
“Tampering with or fabricating evidence is a second-degree felony in a criminal trial or investigation relating to felonies”
Law enforcement officers and other investigators are responsible for establishing the chain of custody reports and handling digital evidence properly by following rules and regulations concerning the admissibility of evidence in court.
This article explains why the chain of custody is important in a criminal case, how it ensures the authenticity of digital evidence, and the best tool to maintain it throughout legal proceedings.
Before diving deeper into why is the chain of custody important in criminal cases, one needs to understand what a chain of custody is.
Chain of custody is the document of activities performed on digital evidence by tracking its control, transfer, access, analysis, and disposition during criminal cases. By maintaining an accurate and unbroken chain of custody, legal professionals and law enforcement agencies ensure that digital evidence remains untampered and admissible in court.
A well-documented chain of custody report serves as proof that the evidence presented is the same as when it was originally collected. It establishes credibility by answering critical questions: Who handled the evidence? When was it transferred? How was it stored? Was it accessed by unauthorized individuals? These factors are essential in maintaining the integrity of digital evidence in legal proceedings.
Failure to maintain a proper chain of custody can lead to evidence being dismissed or challenged, significantly impacting the outcome of a criminal case. This highlights why the chain of custody is important, particularly in cases where digital evidence plays a crucial role in determining guilt or innocence.
A broken chain of custody occurs when there is a gap, inconsistency, or failure in the documentation of evidence handling. This can happen due to missing records, unauthorized access, improper storage, or procedural errors in transferring digital evidence.
When the chain of custody is broken, the credibility of the evidence is called into question. Defense attorneys can challenge its authenticity, arguing that the evidence may have been tampered with, altered, or even fabricated. As a result, the court may deem the evidence inadmissible, potentially leading to case dismissal or wrongful verdicts.
It is crucial to maintain an unbroken chain of custody report to ensure that evidence is not compromised at any point from the time of collection to its court presentation to ensure the integrity, authenticity, and admissibility of digital evidence in criminal proceedings.
Typically, a chain of custody report must include the following information to maintain a detailed log of activities performed on digital evidence:
There is no need to say that digital evidence is a key element in solving criminal cases. In order to prove the defendant is guilty or not, prosecutors must justify that the evidence presented in the court is as original as collected at the crime scene. This requires adequate protective measures for digital evidence while it is collected stored and shared.
Read more about best practices for protecting digital evidence in our blog.
One key practice for ensuring that the security and credibility of the evidence remain intact is maintaining an unbroken chain of custody. Now let us answer the question that we raised in the introduction of our blog: "why is chain of custody important in criminal cases?"
If any discrepancies are found due to mishandling of digital evidence, it can be challenged anytime in the court and ruled inadmissible.
Nobody wants that!
Therefore, the chain of custody is more important than digital evidence itself, as it proves the integrity of evidence in court. Contrary to that, if at any point the chain of custody is broken or if it has failed to prove that the evidence is original, then the court will declare it inadmissible.
When evidence is ruled inadmissible due to a broken chain of custody, it can have serious consequences:
Now, you have a clear idea of why the chain of custody is important in a criminal case. But how can law enforcement agencies and forensic experts ensure an unbroken chain of custody?
The key lies in using specialized digital evidence management software that can:
Let us now look into the best practices for maintaining an unbroken chain of custody with the help of digital evidence management system.
A broken chain of custody can result in evidence being challenged or dismissed in court, jeopardizing the outcome of a criminal case. Below are the key best practices that digital evidence management systems offer to prevent custody breaches and maintain evidence authenticity.
Manually maintaining evidence records increases the risk of gaps, misplaced documentation, and human errors, leading to a broken chain of custody. Without a verifiable audit trail, defense attorneys can challenge the legitimacy of evidence, making it inadmissible in court.
A digital evidence management system eliminates these risks by automating chain of custody tracking. Every action from the collection, transfer, storage, or analysis of digital evidence is time-stamped and securely logged, providing a transparent and unbroken custody record.
This real-time tracking ensures accountability and strengthens the integrity of digital evidence, preventing unauthorized modifications or unexplained gaps in custody records.
A major reason why the chain of custody is important is to prevent tampering, which can compromise evidence authenticity. Even minor alterations can introduce reasonable doubt, leading to wrongful acquittals or case dismissals.
To counter this, digital evidence management systems use:
By implementing advanced tamper detection, law enforcement agencies can ensure that evidence remains unaltered and legally defensible in court.
Transferring digital evidence without proper security measures increases the risk of interception, loss, or unauthorized alterations. Missing or improperly logged transfers can break the chain of custody and result in evidence being challenged.
A digital evidence management system ensures:
For compliance with privacy regulations, the system also provides automatic redaction of personally identifiable information (PII) before sharing evidence. This prevents privacy breaches while maintaining the legitimacy of the chain of custody.
Unrestricted access to digital evidence can lead to accidental deletions, unauthorized modifications, or security breaches, all of which can jeopardize its integrity.
To prevent unauthorized access, digital evidence management software enforces:
By implementing strict access control, law enforcement agencies minimize human error, maintain evidence security, and ensure a strong chain of custody.
Excessive or uncontrolled sharing of digital evidence raises the risk of mishandling, unauthorized access, or tampering which can break the chain of custody.
A digital evidence management system prevents this by offering:
With these measures in place, law enforcement agencies can prevent evidence mismanagement, maintain accountability, and protect the credibility of digital evidence in court.
Unauthorized access to stored evidence is a major factor in chain of custody failures. If evidence is not properly secured, even accidental access can raise doubts about its authenticity, leading to court challenges or dismissals.
To safeguard digital evidence, digital evidence management software implements:
These security layers reinforce the legitimacy of digital evidence and prevent tampering or unauthorized access, ensuring an unbroken chain of custody.
One of the most overlooked vulnerabilities in chain of custody management is the lack of proper documentation when evidence is accessed. Untracked interactions can lead to gaps in the custody record, allowing defense attorneys to challenge evidence authenticity.
To prevent this, digital evidence management systems require:
This level of transparency and accountability prevents unauthorized tampering, strengthens the chain of custody, and ensures evidence remains admissible in court.
As we have established that maintaining an unbroken chain of custody is crucial in criminal cases, as any failure in evidence handling can result in case dismissal, wrongful acquittals, or legal disputes.
By implementing a secure digital evidence management system, law enforcement agencies can:
Now, you have a clear idea of why the chain of custody is important in a criminal case. Do you know any specialized software that can collect, store, manage, analyze digital evidence, and maintain the chain of custody?
Don’t worry if nothing comes to your mind, or known software that does not provide such functionality, because we have a solution exactly suited to your needs right here!
VIDIZMO Digital Evidence Management System (DEMS) is one of the robust platforms that help to maintain the chain of custody and keep your digital evidence untampered from its collection to case closure.
VIDIZMO maintains the life cycle of evidence through a chain of custody, providing a trail of activities performed on digital evidence in detail, such as allowing access to digital evidence to an officer.
VIDIZMO offers a secure, device-friendly IDC-Recognized Digital Evidence Management System that enables agencies to ingest, store, analyze, manage, and share digital evidence within the centralized repository with the highest levels of security layers. Its major features are as follows:
By leveraging VIDIZMO DEMS, law enforcement agencies, forensic experts, and legal teams can eliminate manual errors, strengthen evidence security, and ensure an airtight chain of custody.
With automated tracking, granular access control, and tamper detection, VIDIZMO DEMS ensures that digital evidence remains secure, admissible in court, and fully protected throughout its lifecycle.
Don’t leave your evidence integrity to chance! Empower your agency with VIDIZMO DEMS today!
Chain of Custody Importance: Maintaining an unbroken chain of custody is vital to ensuring the authenticity and admissibility of digital evidence in court.
Risks of a Broken Chain: A broken chain of custody can lead to evidence being ruled inadmissible, weakening the prosecution's case, or causing wrongful acquittals.
VIDIZMO DEMS Capabilities: VIDIZMO's Digital Evidence Management System helps law enforcement track, store, and manage digital evidence, ensuring secure chain of custody with automated tracking, tamper detection, and role-based access control.
Best Practices: Secure evidence collection, restricted access, automated documentation, and encryption are key practices for maintaining a robust chain of custody.
Tamper Detection: VIDIZMO uses tamper detection technology to protect evidence from unauthorized modifications, enhancing its legitimacy in legal proceedings.
To sum it up, an unbroken chain of custody is essential to ensuring that digital evidence remains legitimate and admissible in court. It plays a critical role in every criminal trial because judgments depend on the integrity of the evidence presented.
If the chain of custody is broken, evidence can be challenged, ruled inadmissible, or dismissed—putting justice at risk.
This is why the chain of custody is important for law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and forensic experts. A secure and reliable digital evidence management system helps maintain a verifiable chain of custody by providing automated tracking, tamper detection, access controls, and audit logs.
These features eliminate manual errors, enhance security, and ensure that digital evidence remains protected and defensible in court.
Want to see firsthand why the chain of custody is important and how VIDIZMO DEMS helps maintain it? Try it yourself today!
Why is chain of custody important in a criminal case?
The chain of custody is important because it ensures that digital evidence remains unaltered, authentic, and admissible in court. If mishandled or improperly documented, evidence can be challenged, leading to case dismissal.
What happens if the chain of custody is broken?
A broken chain of custody can result in evidence being ruled inadmissible, weakening the prosecution's case and potentially leading to acquittals due to lack of verifiable proof.
How does a digital evidence management system help maintain the chain of custody?
A Digital Evidence Management System (DEMS) automates evidence tracking, tamper detection, access control, and audit logs, ensuring an unbroken chain of custody from collection to court presentation.
What are the best practices for maintaining an unbroken chain of custody?
Best practices include secure evidence collection, restricted access, automated documentation, tamper detection, and encryption, all of which help prevent evidence manipulation or unauthorized handling.
How can VIDIZMO DEMS help law enforcement agencies maintain a secure chain of custody?
VIDIZMO DEMS provides end-to-end encryption, automated chain of custody tracking, role-based access control, and tamper detection, ensuring evidence integrity, security, and legal compliance.