Accountability Law and Legal Definition. Accountability is generally the state of being liable, answerable, or accountable. When applied to a legal context, accountability means that some legal rule(s) exists under which a theory or claim can be made to find one liable in a civil law suit or culpable in a criminal matter. Under state laws, a person must reach a certain age before they can be held accountable in both civil and criminal matters.
A police officerâs regular practice in the business of policing is to observe crime and report it. Thus, an officerâs reports are often considered business records and therefore are allowed into evidence as an exception to the hearsay rule.
My question: I donât see why itâs good policy to give criminal defendants a Fifth Amendment right to silence in their own trial, as opposed to giving them the same rights and obligations as third-party witnesses (who can be subpoenaed and required to answer questions).