ABSTRACT
IN MOST DNA WRONGFUL convictions, one or more of the contributors that we have examined worked in tandem with the most prevalent contributor: mistaken eyewitness identification. Extremely credible and convincing to jurors, eyewitness testimony
often trumps alibis and other strong evidence of innocence. At this writing, misidentification has been a factor in 73 percent of DNA exonerations. The National Registry of Exonerations identifies “Mistaken Witness Identification,” in 37 percent of both DNA and non-DNA exonerations. The difference is due to the types of crime that predominate each of these exoneration collections, as well as the categorization methodology utilized. Nevertheless, in both resources, eyewitness misidentification has been a significant factor.1
