By Kelly Lawson
This is a second response to "Now you see it, now you don't".
Dr. Vallano makes several excellent points. Allow me to play prosecution advocate for a moment. I completely agree that memory is fallible (and malleable). I also completely agree that attorneys and judges need to be aware of the potential issues with eyewitness identification. However, when experts are presented to the jurors, how do they use this information? Does the knowledge that the presence of a weapon may impair identification lead jurors to completely dismiss the eyewitness? As Dr. Vallano pointed out, not all witnesses are inaccurate. How do we safeguard against the discrediting of an accurate witness?
Continue reading "Second response to "Now you see it, now you don't"" »