Presentation
For years, psychologists, lawyers, and law enforcement have been studying and discussing what practices might be best for getting the most accurate information from eyewitnesses. In a new scientific project, we have examined what law enforcement agencies are doing. How often are they using best practices such as double-blind lineups, or documenting the initial confidence? Are small agencies doing using them as much as large ones? Our findings have implications for the fairness of our justice system delivers in cases that hinge on eyewitness memory.
About the Presenters
Elizabeth Loftus is a Distinguished Professor at the University of California – Irvine. She holds faculty positions in the Department of Psychology & Social Behavior; the Department of Criminology, Law & Society, and the School of Law She received her Ph.D. in Psychology from Stanford University. Since then, she has published 22 books and over 500 scientific articles. Loftus’s research has focused on the malleability of human memory. She has been recognized for her research with seven honorary doctorates and election to numerous prestigious societies, including the National Academy of Sciences. She is a past president of the Association for Psychological Science, the Western Psychological Association, and the American Psychology-Law Society. Loftus’s memory research has led to her being called as an expert witness or consultant in hundreds of cases. Some of the more well known cases include the McMartin PreSchool Molestation case, the Hillside Strangler, the Abscam cases, the trial of the officers accused in the Rodney King beating, the Menendez brothers, the Bosnian War trials in the Hague, the Oklahoma Bombing case, and litigation involving Michael Jackson, Martha Stewart, Scooter Libby, Oliver North, Bill Cosby, and the Duke University Lacrosse players. Rachel Greenspan is a Research Fellow at the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology and Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine in 2018. Rachel’s research focuses on the intersection of psychology and the legal system. Her recent work explores eyewitness confidence and the development and downstream consequences of memory errors. Her research has been recognized with awards and funding from the National Science Foundation and the American Psychology-Law Society.
Michael Farley is an investigator with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and is assigned to the Sexual Assault Unit. Mr. Farley has worked as a law enforcement officer for the past thirty years, during which he has conducted thousands of criminal investigations. Twenty years of his career were spent in various Investigative units for both the Garden Grove and Fountain Valley Police Departments working primarily Crimes Against Persons. During the last ten years, he worked as a Homicide Investigator before retiring and going to work for the DA’s Office. Mr. Farley is a member of the Orange County Homicide Investigators Association and the California Homicide Investigator’s Association.
Connect with us