In criminal cases, which statements describe the admissibility of character evidence for the defendant and the victim?

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In criminal cases, evidence about a defendant’s character can be admitted to prove conduct on the charged occasion if the trait is relevant to the offense. The defendant may introduce reputation or opinion evidence showing a pertinent character trait to suggest they acted in line with that trait, with the prosecution allowed to rebut.

Evidence about the victim’s character is typically not admissible to prove how the incident occurred, but it is allowed under narrow, specific circumstances. The most common exceptions are when the defendant asserts self-defense or when the evidence is offered to show that the victim was the aggressor in a violent incident. In those situations, the victim’s character for violence or for peacefulness becomes admissible to support or rebut the claim, and is subject to limitations on how it can be introduced.

So, the correct understanding is that the defendant’s character can be admitted to prove conduct, while the victim’s character is admissible only under those limited circumstances.