Topic 3 Discussion

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Topic 3 Discussion Eyewitnesses can provide very compelling evidence that can be used as legal testimony, despite the fact that their memories are susceptible to various changes and biases. Generally, all human beings can make errors when remembering specific details, and can also remember entire events that did not take place. As a result, this may lead to wrongful convictions. Decades of research on memory has demonstrated that memory is significantly complex and that accurately distinguishing between true and false memory is significantly challenging (Helm, 2021). False memories in eyewitness is the most significant factor that contributes towards miscarriages of justice particularly in the United States (Wang et al., 2022). A specific case is one of a man named Robert Cotton who was identified by a rape victim and was sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty. However, after serving more than ten years he was exonerated and the real rapist was identified through DNA evidence (Blom, 2022). False memories of eyewitnesses can be developed either through external misleading questions or information, or through internal cognitive processes (Brainerd & Reyna, 2019). False memories could lead investigators towards the wrong direction or may cause the eyewitness to identify an innocent person wrongly. Based on these issues, although eyewitness testimonies are powerful in convincing jurors, when uses alone, they are not reliable to prove the innocence or determine whether an individual is guilty of a crime. Eyewitness testimonies are prone to identification errors, bias and false memories. Memory can be corrupted by leading questions, misinterpretation of events, conversations and personal expectations regarding what should have happened. It is possible for people to remember entirely different scenarios. Based on the evidence provided, eyewitness testimony is not reliable and thus, it should be backed by concrete evidence either from DNA or any other sources.

References Blom, R. (2022). Eyewitness Memory in Journalistic Context: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Study Post-Event Misinformation Effects. Journalism Practice , 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2022.2034519 Brainerd, C. J., & Reyna, V. F. (2019). Fuzzy-trace theory, false memory, and the law. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences , 6 (1), 79-86. https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732218797143 Helm, R. K. (2021). Evaluating witness testimony: Juror knowledge, false memory, and the utility of evidence-based directions. The International Journal of Evidence & Proof , 25 (4), 264-285. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2022.2034519 Wang, J., Otgaar, H., Smeets, T., Howe, M. L., Merckelbach, H., & Zhou, C. (2022). Consequences of false memories in eyewitness testimony: A review and implications for Chinese legal practice. Psychological Research on Urban Society , 1 (1), 10. https://doi.org/10.7454/proust.v1i1.15

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