Can a prosecutor vouching a witness at trial?

California, United States of America


The following excerpt is from People v. Bolden, D074574 (Cal. App. 2019):

assure a witness's truthfulness at trial. [Citation.] However, so long as a prosecutor's assurances regarding the apparent honesty or reliability of prosecution witnesses are based on the 'facts of [the] record and the inferences reasonably drawn therefrom, rather than any purported personal knowledge or belief,' [his or] her comments cannot be characterized as improper vouching." (People v. Frye (1998) 18 Cal.4th 894, 971 (Frye), italics added.)

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