Under MBE rules, prior crimes offered for impeachment are allowed primarily based on which factor?

• A. Veracity of the witness
• B. The age of the crime
• C. The witness's height
• D. The severity of the crime

Answer: (A)

The main concept is impeachment of credibility. Under MBE rules, prior crimes are allowed to impeach a witness mainly to test their honesty when they testify. That means the factor that matters most is veracity—the truthfulness of the witness. Crimes that involve dishonesty or false statements are particularly relevant because they directly reflect on whether the witness tends to lie or mislead. If the crime doesn’t involve dishonesty, admissibility is more about balancing probative value against prejudice and other rules, and not about the witness’s honesty per se. So the idea that governs whether these prior crimes are used to impeach is how the crime affects credibility, i.e., the witness’s veracity. The age of the crime or how severe the offense is is not the primary driver for the basic impeachment purpose.