NCJ Number
209698
Journal
Acta Criminologica Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Dated: 2005 Pages: 21-39
Date Published
2005
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This article presents a literature review of current views and research findings regarding the accuracy of eyewitness testimony.
Abstract
Previous research has determined that eyewitness testimony is profoundly influential evidence in the course of legal proceedings. There are many factors, however, that can influence a witness’s ability to make accurate statements concerning identification of persons and remembered events. As such, it is imperative that professionals working in the field of crime and criminal justice be well informed of new research in this field in order to maximize the accuracy of eyewitness testimony. The review of recent research presented in this article focuses mainly on factors over which the criminal justice system has little or no control, such as the impact of stress and trauma on witness memory. Other factors reviewed in this article include the impact of witness training, experience, and educational attainment on witness accuracy; the age and gender of witnesses as mediating factors in memory; and the relationship between the confidence of the witness and the accuracy of the witness’s statements. Perpetrator and situational factors impacting witness memory and accuracy are also explored, including issues such as cross-racial identification, weapon focus effect, crime seriousness, and duration of exposure to the criminal event. Bibliography