Opinion - Eyewitness Unreliable

According to the University of Michigan Law School's National Registry of Exonerations, how many people convicted of serious crimes have been proven innocent over the past quarter-century?

• More than 1,000

• More than 1,200

• More than 1,400

• More than 1,600

What is a significant factor in many wrongful convictions as mentioned in the article?

• Ineffective legal representation

• Faulty eyewitness identifications

• Lack of evidence

• Judicial errors

What did the National Research Council committee's report "Identifying the Culprit: Assessing Eyewitness Identification" reveal?

• Eyewitness testimony is always reliable

• Eyewitness testimony is less powerful than previously thought

• There are several factors that can lead an eyewitness to make a mistake

• Eyewitnesses are more reliable than circumstantial evidence

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CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.8

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RI.7.8

Which of the following is NOT listed as a factor that can affect the accuracy of eyewitness testimony?

• Poor lighting

• Stress

• The psychological influence of a police officer's body language

• The time of day when the event occurred

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CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

What did the Supreme Court rule in Manson v. Brathwaite regarding eyewitness identification?

• It is inadmissible as evidence

• It depends on the level of certainty the witness expresses

• It is always admissible as evidence

• It is less reliable than scientific evidence

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CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

What has been shown to steadily increase over time for a witness, regardless of the accuracy of the identification?

• The witness's memory of the event

• The witness's confidence in the correctness of the identification

• The amount of detail the witness can recall

• The witness's ability to identify the perpetrator in a lineup

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CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

According to the text, how should lineups be administered to ensure reliability?

• In the presence of the investigating officer

• According to "double-blind" standards

• Without videotaping the procedure

• By informing the eyewitness of the suspect's identity

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CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

What should be done with the level of confidence expressed by an eyewitness at the time of identification?

• It should be ignored as it is not relevant

• It should be documented and made available at trial

• It should be used to determine the guilt of the suspect

• It should be kept confidential and not used in court

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CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

What is the purpose of educating judges about the failures of lineups?

• To prevent judges from using eyewitness identification

• To help judges make better decisions regarding the inclusion of eyewitness identification evidence

• To discourage judges from relying on any eyewitness testimony

• To eliminate the use of lineups in criminal investigations

What should jurors be educated about regarding eyewitness identification?

• The infallibility of eyewitness identification

• The need to disregard eyewitness identification

• The factors that can affect eyewitness identification and its reliability

• The process of selecting eyewitnesses for lineups

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.8

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1