Character evidence is generally inadmissible to prove what?

Character evidence is generally inadmissible to prove a person's tendency to commit a crime because of the potential for prejudice. The legal principle behind this rule aims to prevent juries from making unjust assumptions about a person’s guilt based solely on their character or past behavior. It recognizes the risk that jurors might infer that just because someone has a particular character trait, they are more likely to have committed the crime in question. The law prioritizes a focus on the specific evidence related to the case at hand, rather than allowing a person's general character to overshadow the facts of the individual situation.

In contrast, other options relate to aspects of character or personal history that may not be used in the same way to prove propensity for criminal behavior. For example, a person's character as a whole or their reputation may be admissible in certain contexts, particularly if they are relevant to specific defenses or issues in the case at hand. The education history of an individual is typically not even considered character evidence and is more focused on qualifications or expertise rather than moral failing.