Abstract
This article addresses the problem of eyewitness identification errors that can lead to false convictions of the innocent and false acquittals of the guilty. At the heart of our analysis based on signal detection theory is the separation of diagnostic accuracy—the ability to discriminate between those who are guilty versus those who are innocent—from the consideration of the relative costs associated with different kinds of errors. Application of this theory suggests that current recommendations for reforms have conflated diagnostic accuracy with the evaluation of costs in such a way as to reduce the accuracy of identification evidence and the accuracy of adjudicative outcomes. Our framework points to a revision in recommended procedures and a framework for policy analysis.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 175-186 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences |
| Volume | 2 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2015 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was supported by the Presley Center for Crime and Justice Studies at the University of California, Riverside and by National Science Foundation grant 1061183 to Steven E. Clark.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2015.
Keywords
- criminal justice
- eyewitness identification
- eyewitness memory
- legal decision making
- public policy
- theories of memory
