What does 'staleness' refer to in the context of convictions for impeachment?

In the context of convictions for impeachment, 'staleness' specifically refers to the period that must elapse from the time of a conviction before that conviction can be used to impeach a witness's credibility. Courts typically recognize that older convictions may be less relevant to a witness's current character for truthfulness and therefore might be less probative. In general, convictions that are more recent tend to be more impactful when evaluating a witness's credibility, while older convictions may be considered stale and potentially inadmissible, or at least given less weight.

This understanding connects to the purpose of impeachment, which is to challenge the truthfulness and reliability of a witness. If the conviction is too old, it might not accurately reflect the witness's current character and can lead to unfair prejudice if presented in court. Thus, the definition of staleness appropriately aligns with the idea that there is a defined period from conviction to when it can effectively be used for impeachment.