Eyewitness Misidentification Research Paper

Eyewitness misidentification has been the predominant cause of erroneous convictions. A study by the Innocence Project shows that it plays a role in 72% of justice miscarriages. However, eyewitness testimony is considered compelling evidence and has been the foundation upon which many cases have been brought to trial. Factors like weapon focus effect, forgetting curve, cross racial identification, communication with witness after identification and memory contamination, contribute to eye witness misidentification. Some of these factors are interestingly depicted in Picking Cotton. Jennifer did not attempt to recall the incident and the face of her attacker, subjecting her to the forgetting curve. As she stated, “ it seemed like the worst kind of irony: all you wanted to do was forget but instead, in the fluorescent glare of the conference room they ask you to remember over and over and over”(32). …show more content…
Communication with detectives after identification impacts on misidentification. After Jennifer selected Ronald at the photo lineup, Detective Gauldin told her “You did great, Ms Thompson”(33). Just like many other victims and witnesses, She subconsciously replaced the image of Ronald with the image she created during her rape. As a result, during the physical lineup, she searched for a face that matched the photo she selected and found Ronald. When the detective told her “ we thought that might be the guy”(37), she was certain she had done a good job and caught her attacker. Many cases of mistaken identifications are unintentional and have a huge negative impact on the outcome of a case. Picking Cotton portrays the importance of eyewitness identification and the way it leads to Miscarriage of Justice. It also educates readers on the unreliability of memory and witness