Your personality or past misconduct can affect you during a criminal trial. What you do, how you behave, your demeanor, and other personal attributes can allude to your guilt or innocence. These qualities and behaviors are usually grouped under habit or character.
Habit
A habit is a specific and consistent behavior; it has nothing to do with your personality. For example, if you regularly start your day by taking a run in a nearby park, then that is your habit. Other examples of habits include taking the train from work every evening, flying for all your out-of-state travels, or calling your mother every Sunday afternoon.
Character
A character is a personal attribute that others have associated with you. It's only people who know you well who can testify as to your character. For example, if your work colleagues or friends know that you are economical with the truth, they may characterize you as a liar. If you like going to your place of worship, read religious books, and practice the teachings of your religion, then you can be seen as a religious person.
Use in Court
Both your character and habits can be used for or against you in court but in different aspects and stages of the hearing. For example, your habits can be used during trial to allege that you did something because it was in line with your habits. For example, if you usually take the train to work every morning, then the prosecution can use that habit to claim that you were actually on the train on the day of the alleged crime; this is especially likely if you are claiming to have taken a car on that fateful day.
Character evidence, on the other hand, isn't usually admitted during the trial; though there are a few exceptions. Normally, your character comes into play during the sentencing phase where the prosecution can use your "bad" character to call for a harsh punishment or your defense can use your "good" character to try and mitigate your penalties.
Defendants shouldn't always assume that introducing character evidence is a good idea; it is usually a double-edged sword. For example, if you try to portray yourself as of good character, the prosecution may unearth something in your past that they can use to "blacken" your character. Don't forget that human beings tend to capitalize on the negative news more than positive news, which means the black spot in your past may be all the jurors may hear. To find a lawyer who can help you understand more about this topic and how it might affect your case, check out a site like http://santoreandsantorelawtn.com.