Eye Witness Testimony

Forensic Notes

Testimonial evidence includes ____ or ______ statements given to police as well as testimony in court by people who witnessed an event

oral, written

Eyewitness accounts can be a useful tool in helping investigators with analyzing crime scenes, but are not viewed to be highly ______. In addition, eyewitness identifications (right or wrong) can have a big influence on the outcome of an investigation or trial

reliable

Though this topic is highly debatable, most states have accepted eyewitnesses accounts as ______ ______ and DO NOT allow a person(s) to be convicted based solely on eyewitness accounts

flawed science

However, police and investigators still use eyewitness accounts to produce ____ that then help to gain additional evidence that CAN be used to convict a suspect

leads

____ may play a role in the accuracy of an eyewitness’ statement or identification of a suspect

Age

a phenomenon in which people are better at recognizing faces of their own eace rather than those of other races

The Cross Race Effect (CRE)

The use of ____ can alter a person’s ability to recall the events of a crime even after they are no longer under the influence

drugs

A person’s ______ of an event can be influenced by other witnesses, investigators, and/or the media. Investigators use open-ended questioning and procedures to limit their influence on witness’ memory of an event or identification of a suspect.

memory

Investigators work with sketch artists and eyewitnesses to create _____ ________ or sketches of a person’s face. Today many police departments are using facial reconstruction software to help them with this task. The composite may be used internally to assist officers in identifying the suspect or used externally through local media (radio, TV, and newspaper) to solicit leads from citizens

facial composite

______ is a software program that offers many options to recreate a person’s facial features

Faces

A crime that is extremely ______ may affect a witness’ recall of the event. For example, a witness confronted with a weapon tends to focus on the weapon rather than the perpetrator’s face.

traumatic

Someone who is able to ____ on a perpetrator’s face for a minute or longer will tend to have a more accurate memory than someone who saw the person for a few second

focus

_____ that are either highly attractive/unattractive or distinctive are more likely to be accurately recognized. Simple disguises can interfere with accurate eyewitnesses identification, but piercings and tattoos increases the likelihood of an accurate identification

Faces

The ____ of day in which the crime occurred and a person’s ___ of the scene may affect what a he/she is able to see and remember

time, view