NCJ Number
178507
Editor(s)
Barry Webb
Date Published
1999
Length
47 pages
Annotation
This report attempts to help police assess the accuracy of eyewitness descriptions.
Abstract
The report translates academic research on eyewitness descriptions into a practical guide for investigators, with a particular emphasis on serious crime. Key points in the report include: (1) Witnesses are not uniformly accurate or inaccurate when describing aspects of a crime; (2) Amount and accuracy of witness information can be determined by the way he or she is interviewed; (3) The relationship between levels of violence and stress in an incident and the ability to remember details of the incident is complex; (4) Memory for actions is better than memory for descriptions; and (5) Recognition is better than recall. The report emphasizes the importance of investigator training in techniques for interviewing witnesses and victims. In addition, it calls for more empirical research based on actual cases, in particular the factors which influence the accuracy of facial composites and the usefulness of these procedures to police investigations. Figures, tables, references, bibliography