Polygraph Investigation In The Criminal Justice System

The first and greatest cause of false convictions is eyewitness identification according to the innocence project website almost 75% of cases later overturned were due to wrongful eyewitness identification. One of the main issues as we learned in class is that our minds do not keep a perfect recording of events in our memory they are often impacted by additional information given after the fact. Information about a suspect given afterwards such as suggesting their hair color, height, weight, or other attributes about them could influence our memories. Another issue found is using things like “show ups” for victims and witnesses; this is discussed on the innocence project page and was in class. Show ups tend to lead to wrongful identification because there is only one person instead of several potential suspects like a lineup. The Innocence project website discusses two variables that affect wrongful eyewitness identification Estimator and System variables. Estimator variables are things the justice system cannot influence such as the lighting, distance used when the victim or witness saw the suspect, the amount of stress or anxiety the victim is under, and research shows that it is hard for witnesses to identify someone of a different race than they are. The 2nd group of variables discussed are the system variables, these are things that the system can impact such as the type of lineup like line up or show up, how they administer lineups such as how similar the suspects

Specialized cameras now allow crime techs to capture entire crime scenes on video for later reference. Therefore, GPS devices and forensic science have also been improved by technology and have enhanced law enforcement organizations’ ability to function.

e Report, for Resource Utilisation, Witness Accuracy and Psychological Methods for Detection and Successful Prosecution.

Psychological research shows that eyewitness testimony is not always accurate; therefore it should not be used in the criminal justice system. Discuss.

Moving along, one of the biggest issues and trends facing law enforcement today and in the future is the use of technology. Today, police organizations have access to a wide range of technological tools, and they are continually advancing and improving. Some of these include records management systems, computer-aided dispatch, GPS technology, license plate readers, biometrics (facial recognition software, for example), crime mapping via geographical information systems, and less-than-lethal weapons (Tasers, beanbag rounds, tear gas,

In recent years, there have been multiple high-profile cases of people being exonerated, often by DNA testing, after giving a false confession to a crime they did not commit. People who often fall into this trap are juveniles or those with a diminished mental capacity (Redlich, 2009). DNA testing has helped many innocent people that gave false confessions be free again. This trend brings up the question of how were they able to give a false confession.

Eyewitnesses are critical to the criminal justice system, but there have been issues involving eyewitness testimonies, which occasionally cause them to be seen as unreliable. According to innocenceproject.org, 72% of DNA exoneration cases in the United States have resulted from eyewitness misidentification. This is concerning because in a study by Benton, Ross, Bradshaw, Thomas, and Bradshaw (2005), they examined jurors, judges and law enforcement’s knowledge about eyewitness issues. They found that those involved in the legal system are still very unaware of eyewitness memory research, and the reasons behind why eyewitnesses may or may not be considered reliable. There needs to be a way to increase reliability so that eyewitnesses are able to accurately recognize perpetrators and other important information to put the guilty people away, and to keep the innocent people free.

False confessions are a major problem in the Criminal Justice system, since 1989, a total of two thousand people have been convicted for serious crimes that they did not commit. There are many causes of false confessions, some including a low IQ and mental illness. Today, people are often targeted by detectives when being interrogated for committing a crime. As the causes of false confessions include mental illness and low intelligence quote, therefore leading to false convictions, there has to be solutions to these issues.

The use of technology by law enforcement has been around for centuries and has expanded extensively over the past two decades. Telephone tapping, CCTV, GPS tracking, “bugging”, eavesdropping, night vision, and computer surveillance are many forms of a type of search and

As mentioned above, there is very minimal research on judges, police, and jurors on their opinions and beliefs in the area of false confessions and police interrogations. These key characters in the legal system are important factors to produce more information in the area of false confessions as they are working in the legal system and being the first to witness wrongful convictions. However, one recent study has shown that judges have the same biases as the mock jurors (Lassiter, Diamond, Schmidt, & Elek, 2007, p. 225). Thus, this information can lead to many controversial questions regarding whether or not judges are aware of the biases that occur in their own courtroom? Are judges being unaware of the tactics used in interrogation rooms?

Gadgets such as body-worn cameras, software used for facial recognition, forensics, and gunshot detection systems has made it easier for police departments to catch criminals. The more criminals that are off the streets the less crimes there will be. This technology helps law enforcement gather information of a person’s habits and their location to get in touch with them faster. In the article, Police Use New Technologies to Fight Crime, a police officer quoted, “The real value of all this technology is to empower the officer in the field. Now, data is pushed directly to their devices” (Avalos 2016). Not only is it beneficial and easier to catch a criminal, but it is the fastest way to getting to them. This technology has also been very useful to the City of Oakland and the City of San Jose because of their shortage of police officers. Technology on police cars has also been updated to make it easier to catch these criminals. Technology is also been a useful part in communication between police officers and catching the criminal. There are special software apps created to let the officer know information about the criminal. There have been less claims and less citizen complaints towards the police because of the body-worn cameras. Since technology each year is getting better and better the rate of crime will continue to stay low because it will be

Drones could be a good asset for people like police officers to use for surveillance. Policemen could fly drones into active crime spots and see what is going on in them. This allows officers to know what is coming and what kind of things that they need to prepare for. By doing this it could keep the officers much safer and help them gather more important and useful information. Samuel Greengard a trusted leading professional says, "There is a vast amount of data that could be collected on individuals using aerial surveillance, especially if it is combined with facial recognition and other emerging digital technologies" (Greengard).\

Even with the laws that are in place drones tend to be able to work around them. They are able to “maneuver through each and every loophole of the jurisprudence for warrantless searches” (Koerner, 2015, para. 5). If the current laws are not sufficient enough to regulate drones and protect people’s personal privacy, then new laws are needed. But, there are conflicting thoughts as to who should make those laws and regulate drones. Currently most laws regarding drones are created and enforced by each state individually. Although, only eight states have enacted laws regarding drones, even among those eight states there are varying definitions for what constitutes as a drone (Matiteyahu, 2015, para. 33-34). Some people believe that because the FAA

The polygraph test is one of the most controversial criminal investigative techniques of all-time. From the initial years of the invention to today, there is not a consensus about the investigative tool. That is why there are many people for and against the administration of polygraph tests. Therefore, in order to develop a clear picture of the polygraph test the history of the test must be established. Although, there are many sources that have well documented concerns about the invention, the polygraph test is still around after almost 80 years.

Several investigation agencies adopt different investigation techniques for every crime committed. However, these investigative techniques follow four major stages in criminal investigation which include;