Evolution of Theory and Data in Eyewitness Identification Reform

• In Event: Eyewitness Identification Procedures: Theory, Reform, Effects, and Findings from a Randomized Field Experiment

Abstract

The social problem that motivates research in eyewitness identification is clearer than ever. Eyewitnesses make mistakes: They sometimes fail to identify the guilty, and they sometimes falsely identify the innocent. In response to this problem, many states have enacted legal reforms regarding eyewitness identification. However, in the midst of this reform movement, our understanding of why eyewitnesses make mistakes, and how the criminal justice system should respond, are becoming less clear. Reforms that reduce the rate of false identifications of the innocent also reduce the rate of correct identifications of the guilty. Recent research suggests that procedures once thought to increase overall accuracy, i.e., sequential blind lineups, may actually reduce the overall accuracy of identification evidence.

Authors

• Steven E. Clark, University of California, Riverside

• Molly B. Moreland, University of California, Riverside