In State V

In State v. Sands, the trial judge permitted the prosecution to ask the defendant on cross-examination about some of his prior criminal activities. As a general rule, a defendant's prior difficulties with the criminal law are not typically considered relevant evidence. In this particular case the appellate court held that the evidence of prior criminal activity by the defendant:

A) constituted reversible error because a defendant's prior convictions are never admissible against that defendant whether the defendant took the witness stand or not.
B) could only be mentioned if the defendant gave his consent to the introduction of his prior bad activity.
C) should not have been mentioned by the prosecution because it unfairly harms every defendant's case.
D) was properly admitted by the trial court because the defendant mentioned some of convictions of crimes during his direct examination, and prior crimes involving dishonesty or false statements may be admissible against the defendant who becomes a witness.