What is the potential impact of eyewitness testimony in criminal cases?

Eyewitness testimony can play a crucial role in criminal cases as it often provides direct evidence about what an eyewitness observed during a crime. Such testimony can help establish key details such as the identity of a suspect, the sequence of events, and the circumstances surrounding the crime. However, it is also important to recognize that eyewitness accounts can be influenced by various factors such as stress, memory recall issues, and the conditions under which the witness viewed the event. These factors can lead to inaccuracies, making eyewitness testimony potentially unreliable.

In fact, research has shown that memory can be fallible, and people may genuinely misremember details or be influenced by leading questions or discussions with others. Therefore, while eyewitness testimony can be invaluable in supporting other forms of evidence, it is not infallible and should be critically evaluated. The acknowledgment of its potential unreliability underscores the importance of corroborating eyewitness accounts with additional evidence in criminal investigations.