Eyewitness Identification Process

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The witness identification process and the American judicial system have been considered flawed and the topic of controversy since the early 1900’s. (Buckman, 2011) According to over 2,000 studies on eyewitness misidentification, of those witnesses that pick a suspect out of a lineup, about one-third of those identifications are incorrect. (Perez-Pena, 2010) Modern research has gained sophistication and continues to work to provide empirical evidence that will help identify factors that influence accuracy as well as ways to improve eyewitness identification accuracy. (Loftus, 1993)
According to the most recent data, more than two million people are incarcerated in the United States. (Buckman, 2011) There is no definitive way to determine …show more content…
Research has shown that memory is an active, continuous, dynamic process. (Clare, 2012) It is not fixed and cannot create and exact replica of a previous event. The process of memory consists of four stages: perception, encoding, storage, and retrieval. (Wise & Safer, 2012) Memory can be influenced or distorted during any of these stages. Perception is the actual observation of the incident and how the eyewitness interprets what he/she sees. This is different for everyone and can be affected by the eyewitness’ personal characteristics. Encoding is the stage in which the mind transforms the eyewitness’ perceptions into a memory of the crime. This stage involves inferences made by the eyewitness and their interpretations of what he/she has observed. Encoding is also affected by the eyewitness’ personal characteristics. Storage consists of the maintenance of the encoded information. Contrary to what most people might think, storage is actually an active process. Subsequently, post event information can alter the memory of the crime without the eyewitness being aware that the memory has been distorted. The final stage of the memory process is retrieval. Retrieval is when the eyewitness recalls the details of the crime or attempts to identify a suspect. The reality of retrieval is that the eyewitness unconsciously recreates the incident from several different sources. The recreation is formed by utilizing his/her memory of the crime, it is influenced by his/her own personal characteristics, and then the eyewitness fills in the gaps so that the story seems logical, whether it’s accurate or not. (Wise & Safer,
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