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WV Senate Considers Bill to Reform Eyewitness Identifications
Posted: February 21, 2007
A West Virginia Senate committee will conduct a hearing today at 3 p.m. on a bill to reform the way eyewitness identification procedures are conducting in the state. The bill would implement blind, sequential administration of lineups (LINKS) as well as other important reforms.
The Innocence Project, along with major criminal justice groups – including the National Institute of Justice and the American Bar Association – support the proposed reforms. Innocence Project Staff Attorney and Mayer Brown Fellow Zeke Edwards will testify today on the bill.
“Science and real-world experience make two things clear: Eyewitness misidentification is a serious problem, and the reforms being considered in West Virginia are proven to increase the accuracy of identifications,” Edwards said Tuesday. “Eyewitness misidentification is by far the leading cause of wrongful convictions. Scientific research conclusively shows that these reforms are effective; this research is borne out by practical experience in jurisdictions that have already implemented these reforms.”
Read more about the bill in the Innocence Project press release.
Read the full text of the bill.
More on eyewitness identification reforms in our Fix The System section.