Abstract
Among the 375+ wrongful convictions identified by the Innocence Project that were later overturned by DNA evidence resurrected from the crime scene, nearly ∼70% involved eyewitness testimony (www.innocenceproject.org). Courtroom identifications from an eyewitness can be tremendously powerful evidence in a trial. Yet memory is not a perfect video recording of events, and one’s recollection of the events surrounding an incident is even less reliable. In October 2014, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) issued a landmark report evaluating the scientific research on memory and eyewitness identification. The Committee of researchers (psychologists, statisticians, sociologists) and judicial representatives (judges, attorneys) reviewed the published research on the factors that influence the accuracy and consistency of eyewitnesses’ identifications, conducted via laboratory and field studies. Steve Fienberg chaired the Committee that reviewed and ultimately authorized the release of that report. Unbeknownst to many, however, Steve himself played an important role behind the scenes by providing advice to the Committee that greatly strengthened the report. In this chapter, I will describe some of the research on memory and recollection relevant to eyewitness identification, the shortcomings in the statistical methods that had been used in evaluating laboratory studies, and Committee’s recommendations for standardizing procedures and further research using statistically designed experiments. The astounding insights that Steve provided to the Committee illustrate another one of many instances where Steve left his mark and made the world a better place.
