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Explain The Exclusionary Rule And The Fruit Of The Poisonous Tree

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Explain The Exclusionary Rule And The Fruit Of The Poisonous Tree
1. Explain the exclusionary rule and the fruit of the poisonous tree. How does this rule impact police officers? Please provide at least one real-world example in your answer.
When police collect evidence that is related to a crime illegally, or against the defendant’s rights by unreasonable search and seizure, it is inadmissible in court; even if the seized evidence happens to be highly incriminating, such as a murder weapon. This is called the Exclusionary Rule. Additionally, if that evidence is used to obtain a confession from the defendant in the case for example, that confession is also inadmissible. This is referred to as the fruit of the poisonous tree in the criminal justice system (Gaines & Miller, 2014, p. 117, 118). This means that police officers must use the highest ethical and constitutional standards when obtaining evidence, or a guilty criminal may walk, as the illegally obtained evidence is inadmissible in …show more content…
Further, it helps with equal opportunity employment, as well as increases the likelihood of other officers understanding cultural perspective through their daily interactions together. Moreover, this respect and understanding is carried on into the officer’s dealings within a diverse community (U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division Office of Justice Programs & U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2015). Another more specific example would be a Hispanic officer responding to a call to a household where the residents do not speak English very well yet. It would also help put the residents further at ease to talk to someone in their native language, especially when under stressful situations, and might be more comfortable speaking to an officer who is familiar with their culture; therefore further trust of law enforcement is
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