Disclosure is the information that the police and other authorities have gathered relating to the criminal charges against an accused person. It could include documents like police reports, photographs of the scene of the incident, witnesses’ testimonies, and diagrams. It is the case that the Crown (the state) has against you.
The Crown has a constitutional obligation to provide disclosure. Disclosure is usually made available to the accused as early in the process as possible to allow the accused to prepare a full defence.
A defence lawyer can review disclosure with you and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the Crown’s case against you. Counsel can thus assist you to prepare an effective defence after considering constitutional or other legal issues presented by the disclosure.
