The way the human brain works is marvelous, but often people alter the reality of a situation making false accusations and statements. Ronald Cotton was accused of breaking into Jennifer Thomson-Cannino home and sexually assaulting her. They both lived
Have you ever been accused of something you didn 't do? Stealing something, not doing your homework, etc... Well there are people all over America that have been accused of stealing, killing or other crimes that they did not commit, and they were severely punished for it. People like Claude Jones, Cameron Todd Willingham, and Larry Griffin, were all falsely accused and punished for a crime someone else committed. Some were even put away because there was false evidence provided.
This week’s topic was very interesting to learn about how important eyewitnesses can be when a crime and accidents do occur. In the case that was presented in the 60-minute segment of Ronald Cotton and Jennifer Thompson is exactly how legal system can fail us when it comes to the eyewitnesses’ identification testimony and how a person’s perception and memory can be altered. The aspect of psychology and law research from this week’s course material is most relevant to the topic of perception and memory. The memory has different stages the first is encoding the process of entering perception into memory.
In reality the memory can be affected by numerous outside stimuli and previous beliefs. Due to television, one of the most well know detective tactics in the police arsenal is forensic
Piers Anthony once said, “When one person makes an accusation, check to be sure he himself is not the guilty one. Sometimes it is those whose case is weak who make the most clamor.” When someone is accused of a crime , there must be a sufficient amount of solid evidence to prove their guilt. In the podcast narrated by Sarah Koenig, Serial, goes over a murder case from over fifteen years ago. It is easily perceived that Adnan Syed was falsely incriminated for killing his ex girlfriend, Hae Min Lee.
She mentions that these “dangerous” memories are presented in legal cases and explains her part in two of which she was apart of. In the first case, the photos of Thomas Sohponow who was mistakenly identified as the murderer of a young woman during the identification process were arrayed simultaneously rather than sequentially giving witnesses an easier target. This practice is not reliable as it allows witnesses to easily be persuaded by their naïve “memories” of a person and unfortunately in his case resulted in four years in prison. The second case Michael Kliman who was an elementary school teacher was accused of molesting a 6th grade student based on “repressed memories”. After two decades the student who “recovered” her memories laid charges on Kliman, which makes the case questionable since it could be difficult to justify the validity of a “repressed memory”.
Accusations were even being made solely in an attempt to get something from the person being accused, like their land. Eventually, it got to the point where it was simply one man’s word against another’s and there was no way of verifying what was or was not
A strong work ethic, a fierce focus, an attention to detail, and a strong desire for success…these are some of the qualities that make Miss Elizabeth Peck a very special young lady. I have known Elizabeth for two and a half years as her classroom teacher and Beta Club advisor. In every interaction that I have had with Elizabeth, she has been the picture of maturity and class. She is an extraordinary young lady who has proven that persistence is the most reliable indicator of success.
Without facts and evidence to prove someone's guilt it's impossible to convict them of the
In My Antonia, Willa Cather pens a nostalgic story focused on a two people with a unique connection. Jim Burden narrates the story of Antonia Shimerda, the girl next door who happens to be a Bohemian emigrant. Jim moves to his grandparents’ house after his parents die; Antonia arrives in the United States with her family and little else. The two are vastly different, but bond quickly on the Nebraska prairie. Most people who study the novel acknowledge the obvious impact that Antonia has on Jim and see Antonia as “in one way or another, the center of the novel” (Lucenti).
Part One is very informational and contains the bulk of the book’s research. The information was presented in a thesis format; Loftus stated a claim and then supported her ideas with research and quotations from experts in the field of law and memory. Part One is helpful for psychologists, attorneys, and interested law people. The major principles concerning the errors in eyewitness testimony are supported by research and are accepted by psychologists (Kassin, Ellsworth, & Smith, 1989). Part One will contribute to the future of psychology by showcasing how the memory works and the different ways it is manipulated and changed: this will allow jurors and lawyers to become more wary when dealing with a traumatized
There are many reasons for wrongful convictions, in the cases of Ronald Cotton, Christopher Abernathy, and Marvin Anderson, the main evidence that led up to their convictions were eyewitness testimonies. It is sad that people waste so many years of their lives due to false misconstrued information. Therefore, eyewitness testimonies should not be sufficient evidence to make a case. Fortunately, there have been innocent people exonerated and released from prison thanks to DNA testing. People should be cautious when making an eyewitness testimony, they should make sure that they are 100% sure that they are picking the right person.
Looking on the Internet I came upon article that put a whole new light regarding repressed memories. Scholars like Sigmund Freud believed that repress memories have a detrimental effect on individuals’ lives. Sigmund Freud assumption of repressed memories can have a negative influence on behavior and mental health, but this article, from Time Magazine, discusses the benefits of repressed memories (Sifferlin, A, 2014). The article was based off a team effort of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit and University of Cambridge Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience base out of Cambridge England did a study try to examine how suppression affect a memory’s unconscious influence people.
