Eyewitness Videos

Eyewitness (VHS, 50 minutes)

This is an excellent video to conclude a discussion on eyewitness testimony.  The video shows several real-life examples of eyewitness testimony.  I like to use conclude my lectures on eyewitness testimony, and then show this video so that the students can apply what they learned to the situations depicted in the video. Can be ordered at www.ande.com for $29.95.

Video Description

The value of eyewitness accounts in a criminal case can best be made clear by looking at trials where there is none: how might the O.J. Simpson verdict have been affected someone had seen the killing? The power of eyewitnesses simply cannot be denied. But their accuracy certainly can. Through intense examination of cases where eyewitness testimony has been proved false, AMERICAN JUSTICE® sheds new light on this important issue. Howard Haupt sued the Las Vegas police department for leading witnesses to select him as the suspect in a kidnapping he was cleared of. Several tellers who had stood face to face with the perpetrator wrongly identified Shaun Deckinga as a bank robber. In these and other cases, the value of eyewitness testimony is called into question. Hear from legal experts and psychologists why eyewitness accounts can be so unreliable, and explore the frequent allegations that the police lead witnesses to select the person they already suspect of the crime. (Item Number AAE-16106)

Mistaken Identity (VHS, 50 minutes)

        In the spring of 1997, 16-year-old Terence Garner was arrested and charged with armed robbery and attempted murder. With no physical evidence linking him to the crime, the North Carolina teen was convicted solely on the basis of eyewitness testimony. AMERICAN JUSTICE®: MISTAKEN IDENTITY reveals how, days after the conviction, another man, related to one of Garner's supposed accomplices, confessed to the crime. The controversy that followed raised serious questions about the value of eyewitness testimony and the investigative process that led to Garner's 32-year sentence. Who was the gunman in the failed robbery? Drawing on interviews with many of the principals in the case, including suspects who cut deals with the prosecution, AMERICAN JUSTICE® tries to get to the bottom of this complicated case. Can be ordered at www.ande.com for $29.95 (Item number: AAE-18708)