When will a jury consider the impact of a prior felony conviction on the credibility of a witness?
California, United States of America
The following excerpt is from People v. Mainard, F075650 (Cal. App. 2018):
The trial court instructed the jury on the limited use of the prior felony conviction, which included the statement that "[t]he fact of a conviction does not necessarily destroy or impair a witness's credibility. It is up to you to decide the weight of that fact and whether that fact makes the witness less believable." We presume the jury understood and followed the limiting instruction. (People v. Clark (2016) 63 Cal.4th 522, 573.)
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