Friday roundup
07.25.08
More news on wrongful convictions and forensic science from around the world this week. Have a tip for the Innocence Blog? Email us at
info@innocenceproject.org
A new study by London scientists has found that high levels of anxiety – such as the threat of physical harm – can strongly impair a person’s ability to make an eyewitness identification. The study further confirms years of social science research indicating that eyewitness identifications by victims of crimes are unreliable.
Read an analysis of the study on the Eyewitness ID Reform Blog
Serious budget cuts in Arizona
may force the state crime lab to charge law enforcement agencies for testing it used to conduct for free. One sheriff said this decision may force agencies to "kind of cherry-pick which cases they're going to send up to the lab for analysis."
An upcoming book by Rutgers Law Prof. George C. Thomas questions to the success of the American legal system in obtaining the truth in criminal cases. In “The Supreme Court on Trial,” George C. Thomas argues that by exposing hundreds of wrongful convictions legal advocates have shown that our system is broken and needs reform. The reforms he suggests range from practical fixes to an extreme overhaul of our criminal justice system.
Read a review on the CrimProfBlog
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