Part 1 of this article examined how witnesses may be influenced before and during a police investigation through discussions with other witnesses, family members, social media, news coverage, suggestive questioning and translation. The risk of contamination, however, does not end when the police obtain a witness statement. It may continue when prosecutors meet witnesses to … Continue reading Witness Contamination: When Good Evidence Becomes Unreliable – Part 2
witness evidence
Witness Contamination: When Good Evidence Becomes Unreliable – Part 1
When people think about unreliable witness evidence, they often imagine a dishonest witness who deliberately lies to investigators, prosecutors or the court. In reality, some problematic witness evidence results from honest mistakes. A witness may genuinely believe that what they are saying is true and yet unknowingly provide inaccurate information. One reason this happens is … Continue reading Witness Contamination: When Good Evidence Becomes Unreliable – Part 1
