"Eyewitness misidentification has accounted for 71 percent of the 337 convictions overturned by DNA evidence since 1989, said Michelle Feldman, the state policy advocate of the Innocence Project, a national organization that works to free inmates wrongly imprisoned. What’s more, the actual perpetrators of the crimes went on to commit and be convicted of 100 additional violent crimes, she said. Kansas legislators are considering a bill that seeks to limit wrongful convictions by requiring law enforcement agencies to create written policies for dealing with eyewitnesses. It has support from law enforcement groups, and it has been approved by the full Senate and the House Judiciary Committee. Republican Sen. Jeff King, of Independence, said House and Senate members might include the measure in a larger package of judiciary legislation. The bill, sponsored by Democratic Sen. David Haley, of Kansas City, would require law enforcement agencies to take steps recommended by the National Academy of Science. First, suspect lineups would have to be conducted by an officer who doesn’t know the suspect’s identity. Officers using photographs instead of a physical lineup could put pictures in folders and shuffle them to make sure they don’t know whose photo the witness is viewing. “Just like any other scientific experiment, it takes any suggestiveness or unintended cues out of the process,” Feldman said. Another procedure would require a written statement from the witness about their level of certainty that the person identified from the lineup was the perpetrator. All of the people selected for the lineup would have to look similar to the perpetrator that the witness described so one person doesn’t stand out. And witnesses would be told that they’re not required to identify someone from the lineup. Fourteen states have similar eyewitness identification policies, Feldman said."
Monday, April 4, 2016
Bulletin: Eyewitness misidentification: Innocence Project official Michelle Feldman says identifications should be conducted "just like any other scientific experiments" - by taking any suggestiveness or unintended cues out of the process. Kansas legislators are considering a bill that seeks to limit wrongful convictions by requiring law enforcement agencies to create written policies for dealing with eyewitnesses......... The bill, sponsored by Democratic Sen. David Haley, of Kansas City, would require law enforcement agencies to take steps recommended by the National Academy of Science." Washington Times;
"Eyewitness misidentification has accounted for 71 percent of the 337 convictions overturned by DNA evidence since 1989, said Michelle Feldman, the state policy advocate of the Innocence Project, a national organization that works to free inmates wrongly imprisoned. What’s more, the actual perpetrators of the crimes went on to commit and be convicted of 100 additional violent crimes, she said. Kansas legislators are considering a bill that seeks to limit wrongful convictions by requiring law enforcement agencies to create written policies for dealing with eyewitnesses. It has support from law enforcement groups, and it has been approved by the full Senate and the House Judiciary Committee. Republican Sen. Jeff King, of Independence, said House and Senate members might include the measure in a larger package of judiciary legislation. The bill, sponsored by Democratic Sen. David Haley, of Kansas City, would require law enforcement agencies to take steps recommended by the National Academy of Science. First, suspect lineups would have to be conducted by an officer who doesn’t know the suspect’s identity. Officers using photographs instead of a physical lineup could put pictures in folders and shuffle them to make sure they don’t know whose photo the witness is viewing. “Just like any other scientific experiment, it takes any suggestiveness or unintended cues out of the process,” Feldman said. Another procedure would require a written statement from the witness about their level of certainty that the person identified from the lineup was the perpetrator. All of the people selected for the lineup would have to look similar to the perpetrator that the witness described so one person doesn’t stand out. And witnesses would be told that they’re not required to identify someone from the lineup. Fourteen states have similar eyewitness identification policies, Feldman said."
