Misidentification In Criminal Investigation

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349 people have been exonerated through the innocence project and 32 percent of them have involved multiple misidentifications of the same person. This statistic shows that misidentification by witnesses is a real issue that needs to be fixed. Issues involving witnesses are a big problem and it can be seen through researcher’s evidence, but there are solutions to help with the problem.
Eyewitness misidentification is a huge issue. Even if there were many witnesses, no one knows how many will remember the incident. In one case, about 100 children witnessed a shooting and at least one of them identified the man, who was being accused of the crime, as the person who did it (Saltzman). This evidence shows that witnesses are very unpredictable …show more content…
Results from studies have raised many questions dealing with misidentifications. For many years, witness identification has played a major role in criminal investigations, leading police to suspects and swaying juries. Many people are questioning this type of evidence because of DNA based exonerations (Hanes). This evidence reports that a witness’s credibility has come into question. Many researcher’s have found evidence from studies that shows witnesses make mistakes in their identifications. Researchers suggest 33 percent of witness identifications are mistakes. The Innocence Project says that three-quarters of all convictions overturned by DNA evidence were based on misidentification (“Remi Spencer”). This evidence emphasizes that studies show a problem with misidentifications. There are many studies that have been done to raise questions about the credibility of …show more content…
One solution involves different techniques for the police. A police officer never knows if what they are saying will influence a witness's choice. Someone who is not familiar with the suspect should run the lineups rather than a detective working on the case, researchers say. An officer has too many ways to unconsciously drive a witness to one choice or another (Hanes). This evidence reports that police need to be careful with what they say to a witness because it could change what they think. In order to help minimize misidentifications, police who are not involved with the case need to handle the identification part of the investigation. A few police departments are trying a new presentation method to witnesses. The Innocence Project says that the detective displaying the picture should not know who the suspect is or whether a suspect is even entered in the photos (Eaton). This evidence emphasizes the need for someone who knows nothing or very little about the case to present it to the witness. Not only is the person who presents the photo a solution, but also the way it is
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