Title

  • Sketchy Eyewitness-Identification Procedures: A Proposal to Draw up Legal Guidelines for the Use of Facial Composites in Criminal Investigations

Creator

Published In

Date

  • 2009

Volume

  • 2009

Issue

  • 3

Bibliographic Citation

  • 2009 Wis. L. Rev. 763 (2009)

Abstract

  • The rising number of exonerations over the last two decades has
    raised awareness about the fallibility of eyewitness evidence and the flaws
    within the criminal justice system. Yet, while there has been significant
    attention paid to improving the reliability of eyewitness-identification
    procedures such as lineups, there has been little focus on the use of facial
    composites, or sketches, in criminal investigations. Recent social-science
    research raises serious questions about the reliability of composites and
    their ability to taint an eyewitness's memory. This Comment suggests
    several guidelines for the use of facial composites to reduce the risk of
    misidentifications, thus protecting both individual defendants and the
    integrity of the criminal justice system as a whole.

Description

  • Comment

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