Do Exclusionary Rules Ensure a Fair Trial?: A Comparative Perspective on Evidentiary Rules

This open access publication discusses exclusionary rules in different criminal justice systems. It is based on the findings of a research project in comparative law with a focus on the question of whether or not a fair trial can be secured through evidence exclusion. Part I explains the legal framework in which exclusionary rules function in six legal systems: Germany, Switzerland, People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, Singapore, and the United States. Part II is dedicated to selected issues identified as crucial for the assessment of exclusionary rules. These chapters highlight the delicate balance of interests required in the exclusion of potentially relevant information from a criminal trial and discusses possible approaches to alleviate the legal hurdles involved.

Part I: Comparative Perspectives -- Chapter 1. The Potential to Secure a Fair Trial Through Evidence Exclusion: A Swiss Perspective -- Chapter 2. The Potential to Secure a Fair Trial Through Evidence Exclusion: A German Perspective -- Chapter 3. Regulating Interrogations and Excluding Confessions in the United States: Balancing Individual Rights and the Search for the Truth -- Chapter 4. The Potential to Secure a Fair Trial Through Evidence Exclusion: A Taiwanese Perspective -- Chapter 5. The Potential to Secure a Fair Trial Through Evidence Exclusion: A Chinese Perspective -- Chapter 6. Criminal Justice and the Exclusion of Incriminating Statements in Singapore -- Part II: Exclusionary Rules – quo vadis -- Chapter 7. The Purposes and Functions of Exclusionary Rules: A Comparative Overview -- Chapter 8. The Fair Trial Rationale for Excluding Wrongfully Obtained Evidence -- Chapter 9. Exclusionary Rule of Illegal Evidence in China: Observation from Historical and Empirical Perspectives -- Chapter 10. Securing a Fair Trial Through Exclusionary Rules: Do Theory and Practice form a Well-balanced Whole? -- Chapter 11. Exclusionary Rules – Is It Time for Change?