Which of the following is a characteristic of circumstantial evidence?

Circumstantial evidence is defined by its nature of requiring inference to establish a conclusion. It does not provide direct proof of a person's guilt but instead allows for the deduction of facts based on the context and relationships of various pieces of evidence. For example, if a person is seen running from a crime scene with a weapon and there are fingerprints linking them to that weapon, this combination of factors leads to reasonable conclusions about their involvement in the crime. The reliance on connecting the dots between these facts highlights the essence of circumstantial evidence.

The other characteristics mentioned in the other options do not accurately describe circumstantial evidence, as it is inherently indirect and often requires interpretation to understand its implications fully.