Psychological research shows that eyewitness testimony is not always accurate, therefore it should not be used in the criminal justice system. Dis...

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Recommended: Questioning in eyewitness testimonies essay

A system variable is something that can be controlled by the justice system and the methods such as line-ups, base rates and questioning. One of the most talked about system variables amongst researchers is the methods that are used in eyewitness questioning by police. Some of the techniques that have been used in the past are that of closed ended questioning, interrupting regularly whilst the witness is trying to recollect the events and the interviewer talking more and over the top of the interviewee. A study of interviews were conducted showing that law enforcement interviewing eyewitnesses were seen to be asking closed questions every 42 seconds in comparison to open ended question which were asked at an estimated 6 minutes and the number of repeated questions were only averaging 1% per minute. Constant interruptions, whether they be from the interviewers or were noises from things moving around in the room, were a major distraction to the eyewitness breaking their concentration in giving specific information in regards to the crime. Data also showed that investigators were not letting the witness give the evidence or testimony at their own pace and in doing so ended up speaking over top of the witness and cutting them off which in turn showed that the eyewitness from then on in the interview only gave short answers and not as much information as they would’ve if they were left to give the interview at their own pace (Wright & Alison, 2004). When children are giving eyewitness testimony’s, the investigators techniques are a little different in terms of the repetition of questions. This is sometimes to get them to remember more information from when they asked it in the first instance. Whilst law enforcement are questioning ch... ... middle of paper ... ...Psychology, Crime & Law, 19:7, 629-642. doi: 10.1080/1068316.2012.660152 Mitchell, K., & Zaragoza, M. (2001). Contextual overlap and eyewitness suggestibility. Memory and Cognition, 29 (4), 616-626. doi: 10.1002/acp.857 Duckworth, T., & Kreiner, D. (2009). Effect on Eyewitness Accuracy When Witnesses Are Told versus Not Told That They Will Be Allowed a Second Viewing. J Police Crime Psych, 24, 30-35. doi: 10.1007/s11896-008-9034-7 Brewer, N., & Wells, G. (2006). The Confidence-Accuracy Relationship in Eyewitness Identification: Effects of Line-up instructions, Foil similarity, and Target-Absent Base Rates. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 12, 11-30. doi: 10.1037/1076-898X.12.1.11 Wright, D., Carlucci, M., Evans, J., & Schreiber Compo, N. (2010). Turning a Blind Eye to Double Blind Line-Ups. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 24, 849-867. doi: 10.1002/acp.1592

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