Final answer:
The four categories are reliability, admissibility, voluntariness of the statement, and the hearsay rule, each addressing the trustworthiness, legal use, consent in making, and court admissibility of incriminating statements, respectively.
Step-by-step explanation:
The four categories into which evidence and liability problems regarding a suspect's incriminating statements usually fall are: Reliability of the statement, Admissibility of the statement, Voluntariness of the statement, and the Hearsay rule. Reliability refers to whether the statement is accurate and trustworthy, often considering the conditions under which the statement was made and the suggestibility of the suspect. Admissibility involves legal rules that determine which statements can be used as evidence in court, like the Miranda rights requirement, which protects against self-incrimination. The voluntariness of a statement assesses whether it was made without coercion or undue influence, reflecting true consent. Lastly, the hearsay rule prevents statements made outside of the court from being used as evidence unless they fall under certain exceptions, like admissions of guilt.
Voluntariness of the statement: This focuses on whether the suspect's statement was given voluntarily or if it was coerced or obtained through tactics that infringed upon their rights.
Hearsay rule: Hearsay refers to an out-of-court statement offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted. In court proceedings, statements made by someone who is not present to testify are generally considered hearsay and are subject to certain exceptions and rules for admissibility.