Eyewitness Testimony On The Criminal Justice System

Psychological research shows that eyewitness testimony is not always accurate; therefore it should not be used in the criminal justice system. Discuss. Word Count: 2,589 There has been considerable interest and study in the accuracy or inaccuracy of the use of eyewitness testimonies in the current criminal justice system. Results collated by several studies add to the bulk of literature suggesting that the current usage of eyewitness testimony by the legal system is far from ideal. Currently, high emphasis is being placed on reviewing and reconsidering eyewitness accounts (Leinfelt, 2004). In particular, recent DNA exoneration cases have substantiated the warnings of eyewitness identification researchers by showing that mistaken eyewitness identification was the largest single factor contributing to the conviction of innocent people (Wells Olson, 2003). In this essay, the use of eyewitness testimony in the criminal justice system will be explored, with a particular focus on the impreciseness of this practice. Although Although theoretically conferencing may be seen as a viable alternative for adolescents to court proceedings, and indeed some evidence suggests it reduces recidivism, it will ultimately be concluded that the success of restorative justice programs depends on more than just its ability to reduce recidivism, and thus it will not always provide a useful alternative to more traditional criminal justice approaches. The concept ofShow MoreRelatedThe Role Of Eyewitness Testimonies On The Criminal Justice System2734 Words   |  11 PagesEyewitnesses are critical to the criminal justice system, but there have been issues involving eyewitness testimonies, which occasionally cause them to be seen as unreliable. According to innocenceproject.org, 72% of DNA exoneration cases in the United States have resulted from eyewitness misidentification. This is concerning because in a study by Benton, Ross, Bradshaw, Thomas, and Bradshaw (2005), they examined jurors, judges and law enforcement’s knowledge about eyewitness issues. They found that thoseRead MoreEffects Of Eyewitness Testimony On The Us Criminal Justice System1700 Words   |  7 PagesMidterm Paper: The Effects of Eyewitness Testimony in the US Criminal Justice System On December 14th, 1982, Marvin Anderson was sentenced to 210 years in prison for crimes that he did not commit [1]. He was charged with rape, forcible sodomy, abduction, and robbery; these convictions were largely due to the eyewitness testimony made against him at trial [2]. During the investigation, a collection of photos was presented to the victim, where Anderson’s photo was the only one in color. Then, in aRead MoreEyewitness Identification, Criminal, And Criminal Law Essay1487 Words   |  6 Pagestakes hold. You may think this cannot happen to you, but until we fix some major flaws with law enforcement, prosecution deals, and an overloaded system: This could happen to anyone. State prosecutors should not be able to convict anyone on eyewitness testimony only, without any other physical or forensic evidence. In eyewitness identification, in criminal law, evidence is received from a witness who has actually seen an event and can so testify in court.† (Law.com Legal Online Dictionary) While thisRead MoreEssay on Eyewitness Error1177 Words   |  5 Pagesmemories of one’s life is usually not detrimental, but the flawed nature of long-term and short-term memory functions becomes a serious matter in regards to criminal eyewitness testimony. In the justice system eyewitness reports are legitimate and can be crucial in the judging process. The justice system was constructed to rely on testimony that is often inaccurate and inconstant in many ways. The manner in which memories are constructed lends itself to errors. According to the constructive approachRead MoreFalse Witness Credibility : Mistaken Eyewitness Identification1231 Words   |  5 PagesWu Professor Harris ENC 1102 1 Dec. 2016 Research Project for False Witness Credibility: Mistaken Eyewitness Identification On May 3, 1982, in Norfolk, Virginia at circuit court, 29-year old Julius Earl Ruffin was convicted of a rape he did not commit and was sentenced to five life sentences in prison. The case rested on Ann Meng, the victim who accused Ruffin as her assailant. Mistaken eyewitness identifications contributed to more than 75 percent of the more than 200 wrongful convictions in falseRead MoreThe Role Of Eyewitness And Scientific Identifications854 Words   |  4 PagesAlthough Eyewitness and Scientific Identifications are important tools for the conviction of criminals, eyewitness testimony has proven to be persuasive evidence before a judge or jury but recent years of strong statistical research has proven that eyewitness identification is often unreliable. And can lead to atrocious acts such as wrongfully stripping an individual of his God given freedom for the majority of his or her life. Two prime examples of the detrimental impact that identifications haveRead MoreInjustices of the J ustice System1131 Words   |  5 PagesInjustices of the Justice System Today’s justice system is broken and flawed, with a history of falsely convicting innocent people due to a variety of things, including eyewitness misidentification, invalid or improper forensic testing, and even racial bias on the jury. Many wrongful convictions happen as a result of a combination of these things, and other causes can contribute in each individual case (â€Å"causes†). Countless people throughout history have been punished for crimes they did not commitRead MoreAccuracy Of Eyewitness Testimony1231 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Eyewitness testimony has been used as an important tool in the criminal justice system. When there is lack of other kinds of evidence, police often rely on eyewitness to find potential suspects. In court, eyewitness testimony is a kind of important evidence associates with DNA or other types of evidence. However, many psychologists think that it should not be used in the criminal justice system as most of the wrongful convictions were caused by inaccurate eyewitness testimony. AlthoughRead MoreTodd Willingham s Conviction Process1209 Words   |  5 Pagesdeveloped that involved professionals and eyewitness testimonies that concluded Willingham as guilty. Unfortunately, there were many flaws during the process of the investigation. The investigation had weak evidence with no scientific background, some prosecutors appeared bias, and the prosecution relied too much on eyewitness. The criminal justice system had many flaws when it came down to Willinghams prosecution and I blame the people involved in the system. After the tragic fire, two fire investigatorsRead MoreEssay on Problems with Eyewitness Testimony1395 Words   |  6 PagesEyewitness testimony has been used for many centuries and continues to be a part of our criminal justice system. Although, there has been many controversy debates on whether to allow the continuation of these testimonies in court, and allow it to be used as evidence. Eyewitness testimony can either be harmful or useful for an individual. We must fully analysis and see what certain factors (psychological, and age wise) come into the equation before coming up with final conclusions. A case study