¶ … Exclusionary Rule prevents the admission of evidence that was gathered in an unconstitutional way as specified by the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution, which covers the parameters of searches and seizures. In fact, officers of the law who conducted unlawful searches or seizures of property could be subject to prosecution under state or statutory law, and in some rare cases, may face criminal charges ("Alternatives to the Exclusionary Rule," n.d.). The exclusionary rule does sometimes constrain police behavior in criminal cases, potentially preventing the acquisition of evidence in "good faith," in the presence of "exigent circumstances," or even when probable cause can be retroactively determined ("Alternatives to the Exclusionary Rule," n.d.). Therefore, the Exclusionary Rule should not be banned; quite the contrary, it prevents abuses of power or misconduct by law enforcement. The Exclusionary Rule also ensures that criminal trials are conducted in accordance with Constitutional values and laws. Prior to the 1914 Supreme Court decision Weeks v. United States, there was no Exclusionary Rule. In Weeks v. United States, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a defendant appealing his conviction, which was based on evidence that had been seized without a warrant...
To qualify for the Exclusionary Rule, the burden of proof is generally placed on the defendant, who must bring a motion to dismiss the evidence. If the motion to suppress the evidence were to be denied, and the defendant was later convicted, the defendant may appeal and the double jeopardy rule might even be waived "because the trial court's error did not go to the question of guilt or innocence, ("The Fourth Amendment and the 'Exclusionary Rule,'" n.d.). The Exclusionary Rule ideally prevents wrongful convictions.Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
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