Eyewitness Memory

Wrongful Prosecutions Due to False Remembrance

Several individuals have been wrongly prosecuted due to false eyewitness memories due to factors such as the how the human brain remembers things, emotions and the new scientific evidence on eyewitness memory.

The new advances in science on how the human brain stores memories and retrieves memories change how eyewitness testimonies are handled. There are two types of trace memories. The first type is called a verbatim memory and that memory consists of exact memories or very close to the original memories. Gist memories are a less specific trace memory. The gist memory is a fuzzy representation of the memory that was stored before. Gist memories are vague and therefore can be changed and altered

The first principle is the Parallel Storage of Verbatim and Gist Traces which is the process of storing verbatim and gist memories. Verbatim traces are exact embodiments of the original memory while gist traces are vague interpretations of what

The Innocence Project, an organization devoted to proving falsely accused convicts of their innocence, states that criminal investigators can cause the eyewitnesses testimony to become skewed and false. There are several ways of this happening such as performing a “show up”, which is where the witness is shown several suspects but the photos have context that makes the suspect even more suspicious. The Innocence project also says that they can shown the suspect in the back of police car or where the person is far away or in a poorly lit area. The victim then chooses the one that seems most suspicious. Another way of misidentification occurring is photos are shown of several suspects and then the one the police most suspects is marked. The Innocence project then gives multiple ways that the showing procedures can be changed to prevent misidentification. Officers who are giving the lineup should completely unaware of who the suspect is. This can prevent vocal cues or any influence the officer may have on the witness. Non suspects should also be included in the lineup to insure that not a single suspect stands out in any particular way. The witness should also be told that the suspect may or may not be in the lineup and that they cannot look the the officer in charge for any help. This in turn lessens the pressure on the witness and prevents misidentification