The use of character in the criminal trial raises a number of controversial issues such as the nature of criminal responsibility, the link between past and future behaviour, and the way juries and judges reason about evidence of prior wrongdoing. This book reassesses and reflects on the significance of the law's increasing emphasis on character.

• Preface and Acknowledgements


• 1.: Introduction


• 2.: The Relevance of Character


• 3.: Character and Prejudice


• 4.: The Ethics of Character Evidence


• 5.: Propensity's History: English Law before the Criminal Justice Act 2003


• 6.: Understanding Propensity Evidence


• 7.: Propensity Evidence under the Criminal Justice Act 2003


• 8.: Propensity, Coincidence, and Acquitted Misconduct


• 9.: Character and Credibility


• 10.: Good Character


• 11.: Punishing Character


• 12.: Dangerous Characters


• 13,: Conclusion

Mike Redmayne holds a chair in the Law Department at the London School of Economics. He has written widely on criminal evidence and criminal procedure. His previous books include Expert Evidence and Criminal Justice (2001) and, with Andrew Ashworth, The Criminal Process (2010).