Corroborating evidence, also referred to as corroboration, is a type of evidence in law.
Types and uses
Corroborating evidence tends to support a proposition that is already supported by some initial evidence, therefore confirming the proposition. For example, W, a witness, testifies that she saw X drive his automobile into a green car. Meanwhile, Y, another witness, testifies that when he examined X's car, later that day, he noticed green paint on its fender. There can also be corroborating evidence related to a certain source, such as what makes an author think a certain way due to the evidence that was supplied by witnesses or objects.
[For more information on this type of reasoning, see: Casuistry.]
Another type of corroborating evidence comes from using the
Baconian method, i.e., the
method of agreement
Mill's Methods are five methods of induction described by philosopher John Stuart Mill in his 1843 book '' A System of Logic''. They are intended to illuminate issues of causation.
The methods
Direct method of agreement
For a property to be a ...
,
method of difference, and
method of concomitant variations
Mill's Methods are five methods of induction described by philosopher John Stuart Mill in his 1843 book '' A System of Logic''. They are intended to illuminate issues of causation.
The methods
Direct method of agreement
For a property to be a ...
.
These methods are followed in
experimental design
The design of experiments (DOE, DOX, or experimental design) is the design of any task that aims to describe and explain the variation of information under conditions that are hypothesized to reflect the variation. The term is generally associ ...
. They were codified by
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...
, and developed further by
John Stuart Mill and consist of controlling several
variables, in turn, to establish which variables are
causally connected. These principles are widely used intuitively in various kinds of proofs, demonstrations, and investigations, in addition to being fundamental to experimental design.
In law, corroboration refers to the requirement in some jurisdictions, such as in
Scots law
Scots law () is the legal system of Scotland. It is a hybrid or mixed legal system containing civil law and common law elements, that traces its roots to a number of different historical sources. Together with English law and Northern Ireland ...
, that any evidence adduced be backed up by at least one other source (see
Corroboration in Scots law
The importance of corroboration is unique to Scots criminal law. A long-standing feature of Scots law, the requirement for corroborating evidence means at least two independent sources of evidence are required in support of each crucial fact befo ...
).
An example of corroboration
Defendant says, "It was like what he/she (a witness) said but...". This is Corroborative evidence from the defendant that the evidence the witness gave is true and correct.
Corroboration is not needed in certain instances. For example, there are certain statutory exceptions. In the
Education (Scotland) Act, it is only necessary to produce a register as proof of lack of attendance. No further evidence is needed.
England and Wales
Perjury
See section 13 of the
Perjury Act 1911.
Speeding offences
See section 89(2) of the
Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
Sexual offences
See section 32 of the
Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
Confessions by mentally handicapped persons
See section 77 of the
Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.
Evidence of children
See section 34 of the
Criminal Justice Act 1988.
Evidence of accomplices
See section 32 of the
Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
See also
*
Karl Popper
Notes
References
* Plutchik, Robert (1983), ''Foundations of Experimental Research'', Harper's Experimental Psychology Series.
Evidence law
Philosophy of science
{{science-philo-stub