How is character evidence admissible and for what purpose?

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Character evidence isn’t admitted to show that a person acted in conformity with a general trait on the charged occasion. Its use in criminal cases is narrow: the defense may offer evidence of a pertinent character trait to support a defense, and the prosecution may rebut that by introducing evidence of the defendant’s bad character. The trait must be relevant to the defense theory (for example, a defendant’s overall peacefulness to support a claim of lack of aggression in a self-defense case, or a trait like honesty to support credibility). This structure lets the defense put forward a positive character aspect that aligns with the defense theory, while giving the prosecution a fair opportunity to counter with contrary character evidence. The idea isn’t that either side can universally prove guilt or innocence by character, or that only the victim’s character is ever admissible; rather, character evidence is allowed for specific, theory-driven purposes with a permissible rebuttal.