Blind Justice 0
Steve Chapman discusses eyewitness identifications at the Chicago Tribune:
Alejandro Dominguez, age 16, had no tattoos or pierced ears, and he reportedly could speak only Spanish. The woman, however, said he was the attacker, and largely on the strength of her testimony, he was convicted. Not until 2002 did DNA analysis prove Dominguez was innocent.
It’s a dismally familiar tale: a victim making an eyewitness identification that later turns out to be horribly mistaken. This type of mistake is universally known as the most common cause of false convictions. Yet law enforcement authorities, courts and juries continue to treat it as pure gold.
He goes on to discuss recent appeals court cases that lean to more realism in considering eyewitness testimony, which, despite its cachet, is often the least reliable.
It’s not that persons can’t believe their eyes; they cannot remember them.
And police and prosecutors, even those of the best will, are rewarded for convictions, not for truth.
