Eyewitness identification

The study conducted under Lentini and DeHaan highlights that investigators cannot use patterns as a method to establish how a fire started. This is what caused arson investigation to be described as needing “much more research on the natural variability of burn patterns and damage characteristics” (NCJRS, 2009). This means that arson experts cannot simply look at patterns to determine its origin because there is still a lot unknown about arson and fire patterns in general. This is a common…

Chapter 14 is titled "Pretrial Visual Identification Procedures." This refers to the process whereby eyewitnesses identify suspects of a crime. Most of these identifications are done through either a showup (where one suspect is shown to either a victim or a witness of a crime) or through a lineup (where several people are shown to a victim or witness at the same time). Eyewitness identification is not always accurate, however. Research has shown it is the leading cause of wrongful…

Most of the time, the jury tends to put a lot of weight on eyewitness testimonies (Eyewitness testimonies: Psychological aspects, 2001). Additionally, in a study from S. G. Thompson (2012), jurors acknowledge their difficulties by examining the reliability from eyewitness testimonies (p. 386). Furthermore, in the jurors’ perspective, there is some certain credibility in the eyewitnesses. They refuse the argument that…

The testimony of an eyewitness during a court proceeding can have at times a positive implication and pave the way for justice to be served, but it may however also have detrimental repercussions for the accused. There are numerous instances upon which innocent suspects of crimes have been convicted of heinous crimes as a result of eyewitness misidentification. In serious crimes, eyewitnesses are used as a strong evidence of an event. However, we as humans are all prone to mistakes - mistakes in…

This article, written by Rose and Beck (2016), examine the accuracy of eyewitness identification and find out the physical distance from the crime which they witnessed as well as the length of time between witnessing the crime and successfully identify the perpetrator. Rose and Beck have found out that some researches have argued that false memory and advise can influence the result in people giving testimony about the crimes they have not eyewitnesses. Therefore, the primary aim of this study…

jury’s attention was more focused on the eyewitness testimony of Womble. In conclusion, both an eyewitness and the reasonable person provide standards in the court of law that are used in determining whether to convict a suspect, as demonstrated by the eyewitness in the State v. Hendersen (2011) case. Unfortunately, both standards are based upon subjective perception. For example, human error in memory processing may decrease the accuracy in an eyewitness testimony. Research should be done…

exemplar of the strength of DNA evidence and the fragility of eyewitness testimony. When 911 was called on the morning of the murder, the caller identified himself as Sammy Mitchell. This man was friends with Hunt during this time; when questioned the next day, Sammy informed the police that he had not made the call and the actual caller eventually came forward with his name: Johnny Gray. Subsequently, and to the distaste of eyewitness supporters,…

Eyewitness testimony can become very controversial, sometimes even contradictory. In some cases, people are willing to lie to help others, and in some, they may genuinely believe false statements. However, testimony from witnesses can be necessary in determining the facts of specific cases. Though it may be necessary, it usually does not help in determining the genuine truth. In most cases, eyewitness testimony is invalid. The case in the video is one of the many examples of how eyewitness…

As stated in Psychology, a definition of eyewitness testimony would be "a legal term that essentially describes when a witness or victim is recounting their firsthand experience to another person or to a court" (Psychology Glossary,2017). Eyewitness testimonies are reliable, mainly in court hearings full of eyewitnesses who might have seen an incident happening. However, eyewitness testimony is hard to believe because although a person's memory is quite incredible, it is also imperfect. Our…

After watching the related videos on questioning and memory of eye witnesses I have learned that the witnesses play a huge part in determining who they saw at the scene of the crime. People have been wrongfully accused of crimes that they did not commit just because they have some of the same features as the actual suspect. The courts see eye witness testimony as a crucial factor into determining who has committed the crime. One way that humans tend to memorize things is by seeing the…