Twenty-Seven Years

The chapter introduces basic concepts regarding the psychology of eyewitness identification. It begins with a description of the Michael Green case. Mr. Green was wrongly convicted in 1983 and exonerated by DNA evidence after serving 27 years in prison based partly on eyewitness evidence. Mistaken eyewitness identifications are among the leading causes of wrongful convictions in the United States. Eyewitnesses can also err by failing to identify guilty suspects. Over the past 50 years, experimental and field studies have identified key variables that influence identification accuracy. This book examines the science of eyewitness memory and its implications for policy, practice, and expert testimony, with the goal of reducing eyewitness errors.