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After reading this article, how reliable do you think eyewitness testimony is? Should it be used in court? Use facts and examples from the article to support your response. You can also use facts and examples from past cases to further support your stance.
41 comments:
Personally I find it quite shocking and 75,000 people each year are criminal suspects in the united states. On the contrary though I do find it quite excelling that 273 people each year are freed from United States prisons on behalf of the DNA evidence. This does make me lead to conclusions about the positive qualities of a jury seeing that human memory is fragile and mlleable. I find this is no excuse if I were going to jail and I truly did not commit the crime I would pledge for DNA testing. Although eyewitness testimonies are quite reliable personally I think real visual evidence is more important. As for the rapists who wasn't I find that truly a sad and heart touching story mainly because if I were accused for rape by some person based on visual evidence i would need more evidence such as DNA testing or lide dector and I would be truly upset and require some type of compensation for my time in jail. Josh.W 3A
I don't think that eyewitness are reliable because of what the article said. All of the facts the article said had truth to it and if all of that is true then how can eyewitness be reliable. I don't think we should use them in court because that's how we have all these convictions that shouldn't have happened. The article says the brain is fragile , half Of them "witness's" don't be remembering nothing. I personally think sometimes people testify for attention.
Deche' Neal
After reading the article, I don't think eye witnesses are very reliable. Based on the the information I just read, most people can't even remember what they saw or just picking somebody randomly. I think they should use eye witnesses in court but don't rely on them so much because they are not always correct, as the data shows. I also, think its unfair that people are in jail for somebody else mistaken identify. Thats wasting somebody life that could have been living there in stead of being behind bars all that time.
Rayven Jones 2a
I do think some eyewitnesses testimonies can be the truth but i don't think it should be the only source of information to rely on in a case. There are many things that can lead to a witnesses story being swayed. For example a witness who claims to have seen a thief's face could be threatened into saying otherwise in court. What good is a witnesses report if you have no solid physical evidence to support it? Anyone can claim to be a witness even when they've seen absolutely nothing.
I do believe that some witnesses could be telling the truth,but some also lie and go along with what the crowd around them.I think its crazy that so many get convicted of crimes that they didnt commit,and i strongly agree with the article. A witness could say anything and make it believable.
-EBONY THORNTON 2A
- i thiink that it goes both ways . witness tell the truth so that they cant get in trouble or they lie so they won be a snitch or to protect there friend .Many cases need witness or evidence without that then there case would not be solved.
TaqiyyahRecio
I think its a very complex situation. In other words not really taking credibility in an eye witness account can have a push and pull effect. For instance discrediting eye witnesses can really harm someone when indeed they know very well who their assaulter is yet because there is no physical evidence the accusation is cast aside with a less serious chance of being investigated. In a court room, the jury can fully disregard anything an eye witness may say even if it is key. Yet with limitations to eye witness we can prevent anyone innocent of crime to not be wrongfully convicted. I personally agree to the limitations. I think it will lessen the incrimination of anyone innocent in the future.
Jessica Flores 1B
While it may prove as unreliable. In certain cases eyewitness is probably the best type of testimony there is. They are the very people on scene during the event brought into a court. I highly doubt it gets better than that unless you go digital. And even that isn't as good as an eyewitness report when it comes down to it. On the downside some people dont really see what they thought or tend to forget things quite easily. Which is why its always important to have a plan b.
Ayinde Michael 1A
I believe that an eye-witness testimony could come in handy at times, especially in cases of shootings. It is understandable that witnesses could also be a victim, leaving them in distress, weak minded and scared the mind could start imagining things itself. For example a rape victim’s testimony could sometimes be made up or at least certain parts simply because of the traumatic stress they are going through. During this time the mind will start adding details to the event which causes the testimony to be somewhat partially false. So I think that an eyewitness testimony is appropriate in some cases, ans others they aren’t needed.
-Jackie
We rely on eye witnesses so much sometimes. He/She saw this, heard this..
In my opinion yes they are important but should be carefully watched over. They shouldnt just put someone in jail, someone says they are the ones who did the crime.
In my opinion an eyewitness isnt always reliable because the person that is an eyewitness could be lieing to cover up for the person who really did it.
Terrence Moore 1B
Yes i think it is still reliable because just like people can be wrong so can forensics. An eyewitness could be wrong because as the article states human memory is fleeting but it could very well be the breaking point in a case where forensic evidence doesn't show a clear ruling.
I do think that eye-witness testimonies can be helpfull, but i do't think that the testimony should be the only evidence in a case. Eyewitness testimoies are very reliable in court, nine times out of ten the testimony is reliable.
Shannon Weaver
2A
Justin Boone 1B
I believe that eye witnesses are helpful but should not be the main source of evidence. No matter what happens, an individual can choose to tell everyone what he or she wants. I believe that if eye witnesses are used, there should always be more than one, so that it will become obvious about who may be lying.
I do think that eye-witness can be helpfull, but i don't think they should be the only evidence in a case. Eyewitnesses are very reliable in court, nine times out of ten they are reliable.
I Think Eyewitness Testimony Is A Bad Decision Because That Person Could Look Just Like Me But When It Boards Down To It Were Two Different People, It Shouldnt Be Used In Court Because People Would Lie Reguardless Even If The Judge Says Right Hand To God.
AnthonyDavis ^ 2b
I believe that eye witness are helpful but hurtful at the same time. Some eye witnesses can lie as much as the defendant can lie. They could back up any story they want to. Nobody can tell them that they are lying or that they can not. But my other opinion is that when you have a eye witness they should bring up more proof just because they could lie. It is helpful because somebody is backing you up and making you look like you telling the truth. But like i said they should have more logical evidence.
I think eye witness testimonies aren't reliable. I think this because as stated in the article a small percentage of people can recall who the assailant was right after the attack. I feel as though if the courts and studies say that an eye witness can't be a strong piece of evidence it shouldn't be valid in a case because people are falsely accused and some people do lie to help out others.
Donyah B
4a
I think that witness are not all that reliable because they could identify an innocent person and that person will be punished for someone else crime. Only if they have evidence and two or more witness then they should use it in court.
(Na'Teia Johnson 2A)
Yea, its a bad decision or idea because an innocent person can take the fall, while the one that actually did it is still running around.
Ashanti Walcott 1/A
After reading this article i was shocked to see the statistics of how many eyewitnesses incorrectly choose a suspect. The use of eyewitnesses are not as reliable as I thought it was. In my opinion we should not use eyewitnesses as much as we do now in court anymore. The court system should now just rely on DNA evidence since it would be accurate. As for the true story about Jennifer Thompson being raped just shows more evidence and could be used as an example of eyewitnesses being inaccurate which would send innocent people to prison. I was also shocked by the fact that the man Jennifer Thompson had convicted of raping her became friends because i know if i was him there would be no chance in us being friends. I would sue her for all her money for sending an innocent person to jail. After receiving all the money i would be owed I will only think of fogiving her for what she did. I doubt that I would forgive her anytime soon.
I think eyewitness testimonies are not always reliable because the eyewitness can also make up a story just to send an innocent person to jail or keep a real criminal on the streets.
Jasmine Biggs 1B
In my opinion eye witness testimony can be reliable and on the other hand not reliable. I agree that people can not remember every single fragment of a situation , and they can go off what they think they saw. Sometimes witnesses can be mislead or pushed to say something of what happened that truly didn't happen. Its one of those situations that you really have to trust the person that your calling To testify for a eye witness account. So overall it is a 50/50 chance their either reliable or not.
-Cailyn Thomas
1B
#DonaldMoore #Period4a I don't think eye witnesses are very reliable. Based on the the information I just read, most people can't even remember what they saw or just picking somebody randomly. And their Prediction of The Witnessed Scene Usually Is Not Good
Michael West 4A
I think testimonies are not always helpful because they can tell a lie or make up different stories. I think they should find an eye witness that fully saw the incident and will give strong evidence.
I dont think the police officers are too violent. I think the protesters are just being too aggressive themselves. I dont think the police officers act violent for no reason
I feel that eye witness testimony is not the most reliable of methods to convict a suspect of a crime. There are many things to look at when using an eye witness account. Is the person involved in the situation themselves, does the person have any history with the suspect or victim, and is the person in the right mental state to make accusations. I believe it should not be used in court i believe the evidence presented in the court should be the only determining factors in the cases verdict. As the artiucle states their have been way too many times where the eye witness says one thing and DNA proves another. Its just not solid enoguh for me.
Eye witness testimony helps sometimes but it is not reliable in my eyes. In the article it says that " Mistaken eyewitnesses helped convict three quarters of the 273 people who have been freed from U.S. prisons on DNA evidence presented by the Innocence Project, a nonprofit legal organization that challenges dubious prosecutions." This shows that innocent people are going to jail for crimes they did not commit. Eye witness might be afraid of the real suspect or just protecting them. We can not depend on this method.
I think that an eyewitness testimony is unreliable just for the simple fact that, anyone can make anything up or say they have seen anything.Like the article said the human mindis fragile and can bring alter to a image that person has seen.
Phillip Moore 1b
After reading this article, it would clearly seem that eyewitness testimonies are very unreliable. Before reading the article however, I believed that eyewitness testimonies were, at least somewhat, believable. "Human memory is fragile and malleable. More than 2,000 studies on eyewitnesses in recent decades have determined that recollections are prone to decay, distortion, and suggestion."-This obviously shows that eyewitness testimonies should no longer be used in court due to the brain's inconsistencies.
:Hunter Howard 1B:
After reading this I think eyewitness testimony is very unreliable. Courts should no longer use eyewitness testimonies based on these studies. Although,some eyewitness testimonies are accurate in finding the offender, the malleability of the human brain is too risky of being counted on. -Stephan Taylor 1A
I think a eyewitness testimony can help 50% of the time in certain cases.Most of the time people are too scared to actually get a good look at the situation. But i do think it should be used in courts but it shouldn't decide the whole outcome of the case. If they should use it they should have the witness tell them the information as soon as possible so it will still be fresh in their mind.
Cainan 1A
After reading the article I feel eyewitness testimonies are not such a good source when judging of convicted crimes. Sometimes they come up with false information. Innocent people get charged of doing things they never did. In every situation should you feel the need to oppose what you feel you should know every exact detail that occurred in that situation.
Karisa Johnson 4a
The eyewitness testimony is not that accurate at all. In the article a test was done and only 14% of the witnesses guessed correctly on matching the culprits to what they saw. This use of convicting someone in court should not be used because it can get innocent people convicted wrongfully. People who think they 100% know what they have seen are wrong. Therefore eyewitnesses are not reliable.
Tariq Abdullah 2A
After reading this article, I feel that eyewitness testimonies are very inaccurate.Facts show that every year, more than 75,000 eyewitnesses identify criminal suspects in the U.S. and as many as a third of them are wrong. Eye witnesses should not be used in court they are simply inadequate in this day in age with all the dna analysis and technology advances, eye witness testimonies should be thrown out of the justice system.
-Breanna Brown 1B
i think that eyewitness testimonies should not be used in court. i feel that because the person saw the crime first hand the court systems figured that this would be so reliable. humans make mistakes and i think the court systems are noticing that. i feel sorry for the people who were jailed for nothing.
marques malone
In my personal opionion i already knew that eyewitness are not always correct because i watch investagtion discovery. During the times of crimes most eyewitness are so scared that they barely know whats going on that they think they see things that they don't. Also sometimes with murders in families eyewitness just want people punshied so they may just choose a person that look like they commited the crime
It Depends On How You Look At The Situation. Somebody Would Probably Have Someone Jailed Accidently For Something They Didnt Do. Better Safe Than Sorry, Right? Now What If Your Family Member Got Jailed For Something He Didnt Do, And Someone Told You Better Safe Than Sorry. 9/10 You Would Think Differently From The First Situation. So I Think It Depends On The Situation, Where A Personal Eye Witness Would Be Useful. But Yet Again, They Get The Wrong People Jailed Accidently. (TYRONE KOEHLER-JONES 2A)
I THINK if it is an eye "witness" testimony then we can't really not include their testimonies because more so than not they help solve cases with the right criminal. Humans make mistakes so there is no way to gaurauntee that every single time your going to convict the right person. i think maybe they should analyze more so maybe the government should create more jobs if it takes along time because the employees have alot to do, and they can make it esier to go to school to study so that more people are qualified. but other than that i mean it sucks but there isn't much else to do to ensure the right person is prosecuted also another reason why i don't believe in the death penalty.
I Don't Think Eyewitnesses Is Reliable In Court, Because Study's And Previous Cases Showed That Some Eyewitnesses Was Wrong And Human memory is fragile and malleable, Which Means If There Is A Slight Chance That A Persons Testimony Can Be Wrong Or Dis proven Then We Should Not Even Take That Chance Of Wrongfully Imprisoning Any Innocent Person.
(Gregory Scott 2B)
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