A Damning Cascade of Investigative Errors
Year: 2017
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: Wrongful convictions often flow from a cascade of investigative errors and sometimes deliberate investigative and/or prosecutorial misconduct. This chapter considers several steps in the cascade of errors and misconduct that can lead to wrongful conviction. It begins with the difficulty of the process of investigation and the inevitable infusion of bias into it. The chapter then considers specific errors, such as the targeting of innocent suspects and next considers the nature and operation of confirmation and motivational biases that may infuse the investigation and trial. For procedural issues, the chapter addresses primarily the United States justice system, while directing the reader to some resources addressing similar concerns in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. The rest of the chapter focuses on the operation of “tunnel vision” and confirmation biases, as well as motivational biases, in two areas of investigation heavily implicated in wrongful convictions: witness interviews/suspect interrogations and forensics.
Source: Wiley eBooks
Authors: Deborah Davis, Richard A. Leo
Language: English
Topic: Criminal Law and Evidence
Subfield: Law
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4243219760