PUBLISHER'S NOTE ONE: This Blog is interested in eye-witness identification issues because of wrongful identifications are at the heart of so many exonerations in the USA and elsewhere - and because so much scientific research is being conducted with a goal to making the identification process more accurate. ( The National Registry of Exoneration reports that a record 37 exonerations in 2017 were for convictions based at least in part on mistaken eyewitness identifications.)
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.
-----------------------------------------------------------
PUBLISHER'S NOTE TWO: Bravo to the Times and Reporter Joseph Goldstein for this excellent anatomy of a police lineup, which asks rhetorically 'Are police lineups always fair?' - and then responds 'See for yourself.' This lengthy article is well worth the read. For now, here's a taste:
Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
----------------------------------------------------------
STORY: "Are Police Lineups Always Fair? See for Yourself," by Joseph Goldstein, published by The New York Times on January 29, 2019. (Joseph Goldstein writes about policing and the criminal justice system.)
SUB-HEADING: "Hints can steer witnesses toward the suspect the police already have in mind."
GIST: "A confident and quick identification — “That’s him!” or “I’ll never forget that face” — upon first viewing the suspect can be a strong indicator of an accurate identification. But only if the lineup has been administered in a neutral manner, without the police steering the witness toward the suspect.
There are many ways for the
police to steer a witness toward a particular suspect. Consider, for
instance, the photo lineup — an array of six mug shots — which
detectives showed a robbery victim in Queens in 2009. The victim had
already told the police her assailant was a goateed man wearing a hooded
sweatshirt. Of the six mug shots, only one — the police’s suspect, on the bottom left — had a goatee and wore a hooded sweatshirt. In this case,
the suspect stands out because he alone fits the description. (The
suspect was convicted, but an appellate court ultimately overturned it.)
But in other cases, the suspect is more likely to get picked not
because there is anything exceptionally obvious about him, but because
some of the fillers seem implausible. By
using fillers who bear little resemblance to how witnesses described
the perpetrator, detectives increase the odds their suspect is selected,
research shows. But not because the suspect is more likely to be guilty. Rather, because he may appear to be the best choice."
The entire article can be read at:
The entire article can be read at:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/29/nyregion/police-lineups-fair-unfair.html
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/c
