Those who are facing criminal charges sometimes take solace in the idea that the justice system is weighted in favor of letting guilty people go free so that innocent people are not put in jail. The standard of proof is very high, as many crimes require proof beyond a reasonable doubt in order for a conviction to occur. This is done to reduce the chance of false convictions.
Nevertheless, we now know that false convictions do happen far more frequently than many people realize. DNA evidence has exposed issues with the system by demonstrating that people who have long been convicted were innocent the entire time. In most of those cases, one contributing piece of evidence was that eyewitnesses made mistakes, such as misidentifying the suspect.
Why does this happen?
The reason eyewitnesses are so convincing is that the judge and jury often assume that they have no stake in the case and no reason to lie. It is natural that a defendant would want to claim they did not do something, even if they were guilty, but most eyewitnesses are not going to falsely accuse someone on purpose.
However, eyewitnesses are just not as reliable as they may believe. Memories can change. Someone could confuse two individuals who look similar. Criminal activities often happen quickly, and an eyewitness may not have a good vantage point or a clear view of what is actually occurring. In criminal activity involving weapons, there is an issue known as weapon focus, where an eyewitness will look so intently at the weapon that they barely look at the person’s face.
These are just a few of the common reasons for misidentifications. There have been hundreds of false convictions, showing how important it is for those facing charges to know exactly what legal defense options they have.