How eye witness
research could
strengthen Scotland’s
justice system
Scotland is well placed to become a
world leader in conducting eyewitness
identifications
P
UBLIC CONFIDENCE IN Scotland’s
justice system is essential for its
efficiency and protecting people
from crime is an ever-present concern for
society. Yet, when mistakes occur, public
confidence is eroded and the guilty can
be free to commit further crimes.
Dr Jamal Mansour, Senior Lecturer in
Psychology at QMU, studies eyewitness
memory. She said: “Eyewitnesses are
extremely compelling to judges and jurors,
regardless of their accuracy, and so it is
critical that eyewitness evidence is obtained
with the most reliable methods possible.”
Since its inception in 1992, the Innocence
Project, a US organisation that advocates on
behalf of people who claim to be wrongfully
convicted, has been instrumental in 349
exonerations based on DNA evidence. Over
70% of these wrongful convictions involved
inaccurate eyewitness identification. Whilst
some of those errors were deliberate, the
National Exoneration Registry found that
eyewitnesses mistakenly believed they had
identified the criminal in 43% of 873 cases
later resulting in exonerations in the US from
1989 to 2012.
There are high profile examples closer to
home too. Take William Mills from Glasgow
who was arrested for stealing £8,216 from
a Royal Bank of Scotland branch after four
eyewitnesses identified him as the thief. The
Police took him from his home at gunpoint
as his children looked on. After six months
in prison he was convicted and sentenced
to nine years in jail. Luckily, DNA at the
crime scene linked someone else to the
crime and Mr Mills was eventually released.
Dr Mansour believes that Scotland is
well placed to become a world leader in
conducting eyewitness identifications.
She explained: “Partnerships between
academics and the police are common
and encouraged in Scotland, thanks to
the Scottish Institute for Policing Research
(SIPR), a consortium of Scottish universities
with the Police Service of Scotland, of which
QMU is a member. Furthermore, following
the recommendation in Lord Bonomy’s
post-corroboration safeguards review, a
national code of practice for identification
is imminent. A national code, based on
reliable scientific evidence, will promote the
collection of reliable identification evidence.
Also, having a national police force
means consistent practice is achievable
- compared to the US where identification
policies and practices vary by city and state.
process varies depending on the quality
of their memory for the crime, and the way
in which lineup members are presented.”
She concluded: “Our work will provide
unique insights into how identification
procedures can be refined and could lead
to further fine-tuning of the policies and
practices for eyewitness identification
in Scotland. Ultimately, this would result
in fewer mistakes and greater public
confidence in our criminal justice system.”
Dr Olivia Sagan, Head of Psychology and
Sociology at QMU, said: “Jamal’s work is
an excellent example of the relevance of
QMU’s research and how it can be applied
to real life situations to improve processes
and outcomes for organisations and
individuals.” ❒
Already recognised for high quality
research on face recognition, Scotland’s
academics have a key role to play. Jamal
is the only psychologist in Scotland whose
focus is specifically on face recognition in
the context of lineups.
Funded by a grant from the American
Psychology-Law Society, Jamal and her
QMU team examine how people make
decisions about lineups. She explained:
“Specifically, we are measuring the extent
to which an eyewitness’ decision making
Dr Jamal Mansour
QMYOU / Social Sciences
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