Research Brief

JIBCResearchBrief




PrincipleResearcher(s)&Affiliation(s)

Eyewitness Testimonies in North America: The Contributing Factors of
Wrongful
Convictions




August
23, 2019


Reseacher: Kyle D'Antonio



Advisor: Rod Gehl












ResearchField



Eyewitness Credibility



StudentInvolvement



Methods
 The study examined academic articles to try and better understand the
credibility of eyewitness testimony aswell as their overall accuracy in
 comparison to other forms of evidence.

N/A


Partners&Collaborators



A qualitative research approach was used to explore and help understand the
 meaning of the problem being studied. Qualitative research allowed for the
ability to test the theory that eyewitness testimonies are not always accurate
 and that they play a significant
 role in wrongful convictions. Due to the nature
of the study, a qualitative approach permitted for the ability to group
common themes and interpret the meaning of the information.

N/A





FundingSources
N/A Course-based project

ProjectPeriod
From:(Month/Year) January 2019
To:(Month/Year) April 2019



ͲFunded
ͲInKind

$ 0
$ 0

ͲTotal

$ 0




Introduction
According to the Innocence Project, eyewitness testimonies have the most
significant impact on wrongfully convicted individuals in North America. The
objective of this project was to understand eyewitness credibility and the root
causes of wrongful convictions. This study focused on examining research that
has been previous conducted and places it in a North American context. The
secondary objective of this project was to identify how eyewitness
testimonies impact court decisions and what the Criminal Justice system can
do to prevent inaccurate eyewitness testimony.

Results
The results of this research suggest that the issue of eyewitness credibility is
prevalent within courts across North America. In the United States alone, the
Innocence Project found that approximately 75 percent of their first 325
Text
exonerations
were caused by eyewitness identification. Furthermore, the
research suggests that eyewitness testimony is the most significant
contributor to wrongful convictions.
The final review of the selected articles presented four common themes that
affect the impact of eyewitness credibility
-Memory
-Perception & Bias
-Police Procedures
-Juror Knowledge

StructuredAbstract
Discussion
 The findings presented throughout this paper suggest that memory, police procedure, juror

knowledge as well as perception and bias are among the most influential factors for inaccurate

 eyewitness testimony. The findings also indicate that reliance on eyewitness evidence can be both
 dangerous and onerous.
 Limitations

The majority of the literatures comes from the United States, where laws and regulations for both
law enforcment and the criminal justice system are far different than Canada. In Canada, issues
 regarding the credibility of eyewitness testimony seem to be further recognized by law
enforcement and those involved within the judicial process. The research into the credibility of

eyewitness testimony and it's impact towards wrongful conviction is important for a number of
 reasons. Firstly, eyewitness testimony is the leading contributor of wrongful convictions. Secondly,
eyewitness testimony is the most commonly used form of evidence in criminal cases (Shermer,
 Rose, & Hoffman, 2011). Due to the frequency of wrongful convictions as a result of eyewitness
testimonies, the criminal justice system must find more accurate methods of trying those charged

in criminal cases.




Concusions and future research
While this study does not suggest that eyewitness testimony should not be used as evidence, it
 does promote the need for judicial reform. Given the large degree of trust that our justice system
places on eyewitness evidence, it is crucial that more research is conducted to explore the
 relationship between eyewitness evidence and wrongful conviction.




In order to improve the credibility of eyewitness evidence and reduce the likelihood of wrongful

 convictions, government bodies must take initiative in providing judicial reform. In addition, more


research should be conducted into the practice of law enforcement and the judical process, to
understand how their actions affect the accuracy of eyewitness testimony.

Publications/Presentations/Reports


www.jibc.ca/research