Memories expresses uncertainty since it consistently grows and changes. In 1991, Andre Hatchett was wrongfully convicted of a second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. The verdict of Hatchett's case relied heavily on the misconduct of Gerard Williams' sole eyewitness testimony which overlooked evidence that initially identified the true perpetrator (Innocence Project). Using the works of Loftus’s (2015) and Rattner’s (1983), I will examine how the primarily causes for cases of wrongful convictions consist of faulty eyewitness testimony and the exposure of the false memories.
To begin, Loftus suggested that the identification of defendants from criminal cases were predominantly determined by witnesses (2015). In fact, studies have established that the possibility of misidentifying an individual tends to be increasingly high due to …show more content…
Loftus (2015) exposed that 75 percent of falsely accused cases were due to faulty eyewitness testimony due one’s unstable memory. Rattner (1983) suggested that misidentification from the eyewitness is inevitable in the American criminal justice system. In fact, it is responsible for over 57 percent of wrongfully convicted cases. In addition, false memories are also accountable for the increasing number of false accusations. These rich false memories can emerge from exposure to false information which causing individuals to believe that their memories are true. In order to prevent future false accusation, it is essential that the American criminal justice system improves their eyewitness identification procedures and challenges those eyewitnesses when present in court. Criminal cases should not solely relied on eyewitness testimony as evidence because it is evident that it leads to wrongful