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Essay On Incredible Eyewitnesses

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Recommended: Introduction to wrongful convictions

Most cases where someone has been exonerated due to DNA retesting had a problem with eyewitnesses misidentifying the suspects. This is a problem that can change someone’s life forever. Misidentification of suspects is a flaw in the criminal justice system that can be addressed through more police training and increased help from the judges.
Misidentification by the eyewitnesses and the police officers are current problems in the justice system. Suspects are identified by the eyewitnesses of the crime, but this can lead to some problems with who is identified. More than 75% of cases that have used DNA to exonerate have involved misidentification by the eyewitnesses (“Credible Eyewitnesses”). This proves that eyewitnesses are not reliable sources in a trial. According to the article “Credible Eyewitnesses”, …show more content…

The court system has created ways to prevent this problem. The court created a stepped process to stop false identification (“Credible Eyewitnesses”). This shows that there are solutions being put in place to help fix the problem of mistaken identification of suspects. Police officers receive suspensions if they are caught after making false entries in arrest reports (“2 Deputies Suspended for False Report”). This suggests that police officers need to have more consequences for lying.
Honesty from the police officers and the eyewitnesses is something that is expected by the justice system. The police officers need to be as truthful as any other person who testifies (Mills). This insists that the police officers need to be honest about the cases they are testifying on. The court demands honestly from the police officers when it comes to trials and evidence from the case (Mills). This proves that the court has standard for their police officers that they need to

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