Eyewitness testimony essays

In legal terms, this is called eyewitness testimony. Eyewitness testimony is a legal account given by witnesses of an event (McLeod, 2009).For example, a witness (or group of witnesses) may present the series of events in a crime based on what they have seen and heard.

Aidan Sammons examines the two psychological factors which may deem Eyewitness Testimony fallible: “reconstructive errors and leading questions”, and “weapon focus and violence distractions” (para. 1). Reconstructive errors occur because the human memory works by fitting information in schemas in order to retain them better and more conveniently.

Details regarding the crime like the identification of perpetrators, the dialogue they heard, and setting of the crime are important facts retold by the eyewitnesses. Juries generally view eyewitness testimonies as trustworthy and convincing evidences (Sammons, “Eyewitness Testimony”, para. 1).

When there is no evidence to apprehend the accused, eye-witness testimony becomes an effective tool in apprehending the culprit. Although the use of eyewitness testimony by juries is considered as most valuable tool but the eye-witness testimony is questionable because majority of witnesses fail to provide accurate information of the incident.