In criminal cases, how can a defendant open the door to their good character?

In criminal cases, a defendant can open the door to their good character primarily through reputation or opinion testimony. This means that the defendant can present evidence about their good moral character as a way to establish reasonable doubt about their culpability or to argue for leniency during sentencing.

When a defendant introduces evidence of their good character, it generally comes in the form of testimony from friends, family members, or community members who can vouch for the defendant's reputation for honesty, lawfulness, or other traits relevant to the charges. This approach works under the premise that if the community views the defendant positively, it could influence the perception of their likelihood of committing the crime in question.

The other options do not effectively allow for the opening of the character evidence door in this context. Physical evidence pertains to tangible items and does not relate to character. Expert testimony generally provides insights based on specialized knowledge and may not directly address good character unless the expert has a specific basis for evaluating personal traits. Pleading guilty does not open the door to character evidence; it operates in a different procedural context and typically leads to a determination of guilt rather than character.