The Innocent Behind Bars
For the first time in more than than 30 years, the U.S.Supreme Court is ruling on a case centering on eyewitness testimony.
Many experts in field of eyewitness reliability believe the justices agreed to hear the case, in part because of significant research showing the fallibility of eyewitnesses.
One of the top experts in the field of eyewitness reliability is Dr. Edie Greene, a professor at UCCS.
She points out faulty eyewitness testimony happens much more often than any of us want to admit and it’s because of a variety of factors.
The Innocence Project has found 278 men and women wrongfully convicted, and exonerated them through DNA evidence.
75-percent of those innocent people were found guilty based on faulty eyewitness testimony.
“You can scream at the top of your lungs ‘I didn’t do it!’ and yet you’re not believed,” says Dr. Greene, “it must be one of the worst things.”
Some states are adopting proposed legislation from the Innocence Project that would help ensure eyewitnesses are more reliable. Colorado is not one of them.
The Innocence Project: Reforming Lineups
The Justice Project: Eyewitness ID, A Policy Review
FYI, correct suspect in our eyewitness lineup was #6.
