Pros And Cons Of Eyewitness Testimony

Eyewitness testimony rely only on people’s memory,
In my research I am going to discuss the age of the eyewitness, reconstructive memory, weapon focus, anxiety, types of questioning, and different studies that have been conducted on these areas.

Earlier I mentioned the pros and cons of eyewitness testimony and wanted to go into further details with that.
Pros:
1. It can shed light into the sequence of the events that constitute the crime. The eyewitness testimony supports the lawyers and the jury to better comprehend everything about the case by explaining how the crime was committed, where it happened and who was involved. As a result, they can establish a motive based on the witness’s account and come up with the best final decision.
2. It can influence the decision of the jury. The role of the jury in a hearing is to evaluate the
truth of the witness’s statement and identify credibility issues. So, having credible witnesses under oath will allow the jury to determine whether the defendant is guilty of the crime he is accused of.
3.
It is generally reliable. A testimony that is still fresh from the time the crime was committed has a higher chance that the account of the story is still vivid in the witness’s mind, which qualifies it as more reliable.

Cons:
1. It can contain parts that are just made up by the witness due to pressure. Fear and nervousness can affect a person’s memory. As for an eyewitness, he probably will feel pressure knowing that everyone in the courtroom is counting on him, which might lead him into saying something that is wrong, or not being able to recall the crucial details and sequence of events that could have helped solve the case.

2. It is not always accurate. Past research on human memory revealing that events and details of events were mistakenly recorded and stored in people’s minds. Some of the subjects falsely remembered seeing images that were not there during a certain incident. When words were injected into certain questions, the subjects also incorrectly provided accounts of what they saw. These findings indicate that eyewitness testimony may not be accurate sometimes.

3. It may convict the wrong
person. As the jury puts great emphasis and value on a witness’s memory of the incident, even with insufficient physical evidence, the testimony can put the wrong individual in jail. Even if he may be freed from prison, the jury’s decision would forever change his life in a way that he could lose his job, dignity or even his loved ones.