What is discovery in a criminal case?

Once the defense files a demand, the State must disclose its case: witness lists, statements, police reports, physical evidence, expert reports, electronic and video evidence, and material favorable to the defense.

Florida's discovery is unusually broad. It includes categories of information many states don't provide, and — significantly — it opens the door to depositions in felony cases.

The obligation is continuing. Evidence discovered later must be disclosed as it's obtained, which is why files grow over the life of a case.

What matters practically is specificity. A general demand produces a general response. Requests naming particular items — every officer's body camera, the instrument's maintenance records for a date range, dispatch logs, the agency's written policy — produce material that general requests don't.

Discovery violations have remedies, including exclusion of evidence, and a hearing to address what happened and whether the defense was prejudiced.

Reviewing what arrives is the substance of defense work. Most case-deciding facts come from the file rather than from anywhere else.