Which form of evidence cannot be used to establish a victim's character in any case?

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The concept at hand revolves around the admissibility of evidence concerning a victim's character in legal proceedings. Specifically, specific past conduct evidence cannot be used to establish a victim's character in any case. This prohibition is grounded in the desire to maintain the integrity of the courtroom and to ensure that the trial process focuses on the relevant facts at hand rather than potentially prejudicial character judgments.

Victim character evidence via specific past conduct is seen as too prejudicial and irrelevant to the determination of current case facts, meaning a jury's decision could be swayed improperly by information about the victim's past behavior rather than the specific events of the case. Courts typically only allow general character evidence, such as reputation and opinion evidence, provided by witnesses who can testify to the victim's good character traits in relevant contexts, as this does not unfairly bias the jury against the victim. In summary, only reputation and opinion evidence about the character traits of a victim are allowed, while evidence of specific past conduct is excluded to protect the fairness of the trial.

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