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The Exclusionary Rule


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             There are, however, exceptions to this rule, though not always efficient and effective in themselves, under certain circumstances. First, in circumstances where certain factors are significant enough to remove the illegality of the original conduct, application of the exclusionary rule can be avoided. This is also known as the "purged taint" rule. Another exception involves evidence that would have been discovered anyway, regardless of the means by which it was actually obtained. Finally, there is the issue of evidence acquired through an independent source. When evidence has been gained through such a source, and the gathering of that evidence is not a result of illegal means, the evidence is not rejected by the exclusionary rule. Although worthy rules in and of themselves, I cannot seem to find cases in which the bulk of them apply. Their application would be ideal for cases involving previously convicted murders or known drug dealers, but application of these exception are more the responsibility of the judiciary than of law enforcement officers.
             On the contrary one feather in the cap of legislation and the judicial system exists in the presence of an additional exception that has the potential to be effective. Where evidence obtained as a result of the reasonable belief and good faith that a viable search warrant was issued, yet the warrant was determined to have been unsupported by probable cause, the exclusionary rule may be excepted. In U.S. v. Leon , the Court held that the prosecution may introduce illegally-obtained evidence as part of its case-in-chief against the person whose rights were violated if the police obtained the evidence by relying on a search warrant they reasonably believed to be valid. Again, this is a feasible start for adequate and realistic regulation of evidence, yet, unfortunately, these exceptions do not often provide enough room for law enforcement officers to perform their jobs effectively in their attempts to reduce crime and punish criminals.


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