RULE or DOCTRINE of COMPLETENESS: Criminal Evidence By Maryland Attorney Charles Ware

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  CRIMINAL EVIDENCE : The Rule or Doctrine of Completeness [ of Verbal Statements]

The rule or doctrine of completeness has its roots in common law, and it serves two purposes:

(1) To ensure that the court not be misled because portions of a person's  statements (usually verbal) are taken out of context, and
(2) To avoid the danger that an out-of-context statement may create such prejudice that it is impossible to repair by a subsequent presentation of additional material.

[ And see, 62 Notre Dame Law Review 382; Maryland Law Review, Volume 60, Issue 2, Article 4]