COMMENT:Summarizes the material in Loftus and Wells, <a href="/bib/114"><cite>Eyewitness Testimony</cite></a>, which strongly criticizes the reliability of such testimony. It then critiques famous criminal trials, from Sacco and Vanzetti to John Demjanjuk, which were decided mainly on the basis of eyewitness testimony. The next time somebody tells you "It's true! I know someone who actually saw it happen", direct them to a copy of one of these books.
DATE:19990625
KEYWORDS:psychology
MISC:288p.
PUBLISHER:St. Martin's Press
SUBMITADDR:simond@polaris.ncs.nova.edu
SUBMITNAME:David Simon
TITLE:Witness For the Defense: The Accused, the Eyewitnesses, and the Expert who Puts Memory on Trial