Nearly every criminal trial includes

Answer choices

1. A

   Supports8% picked this

   Eyewitnesses’ reports are the most common reason

   This adds plausibility to the idea that if there were a mistaken eyewitness identification within a trial, it could have a big impact on whether or not that misidentified person gets convicted. Apparently, it's incredibly common for an eyewitness identification to be the major reason for conviction.

   8%
2. B

   Supports1% picked this

   In most crimes, eyewitnesses have seen the perpetrator only briefly, and people are generally poor at remembering the faces of people

   This adds plausibility to the idea that there will be mistaken identifications. Eyewitnesses who see a crime usually don't see enough of the perpetrator's face to get a stable memory of that person.

   1%
3. C

   Supports2% picked this

   The shock of witnessing a crime makes it likely that a witness’s memory of the perpetrator’s

   This adds plausibility to the idea that there will be mistaken identifications. Eyewitnesses who see a crime are so shocked that it interferes with their ability to get a stable, accurate memory of that person's face..

   2%
4. D

   Correct82% picked this

   Judges often instruct juries about those circumstances under which testimony of

   Why this is right

   This doesn't give any support for the idea that misidentification is common, nor does it help show that a bad identification could lead to a wrongful conviction. We might say this answer has Mixed Impact. The fact that judges often warn juries about the potential fallibility of the eyewitness identification supports the idea that mistaken identification is a common enough thing that judges know to talk about it. But ... the fact that judges warn against trusting that sort of testimony would make it less likely that mistaken eyewitness testimony would lead to a wrongful conviction. The jurors would be like, "The eyewitness did say that she saw Mr. X at the scene of the crime. But, we shouldn't convict based on that since the judge warned us that this eyewitness identification could be incorrect."

   Skill tested: Strengthen · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

   82%
5. E

   Supports7% picked this

   Jurors are very likely to believe eyewitnesses who appear confident, and unreliable witnesses usually

   This adds plausibility to the idea that mistaken identifications. could lead to mistaken convictions. When people are misidentifying, they are often very confident, which leads jurors to trust them (and thus believe them when deliberating on whether to convict).

   7%