CBS News Show 60 Minutes to Report on Eyewitness Identification

SPECIAL BULLETIN FROM THE AMERICAN JUDICATURE SOCIETY
60 Minutes to Report on Eyewitness Identification Reform
The CBS News show, 60 Minutes will air a two-segment report on Eyewitness Identification Reform on Sunday, March 8, 2009, at 7pm EST.

Dr. Gary L. Wells, Director of Social Sciences for the AJS Institute of Forensic Science and Public Policy, and Christine Mumma, member of the AJS Board of Directors, were both interviewed for the program. The 60 Minutes segment will focus on problems with misidentification of suspects and potential reforms, which are currently being studied by AJS (American Judicature Society) and other organizations in the national Eyewitness Identification Field Studies.

Mistaken eyewitness identification is widely considered the leading cause of wrongful convictions in the United States. Of the 232 cases over-turned by DNA evidence to date, over 75% have involved faulty eyewitness identification. To learn more about the national Eyewitness Identification Field Studies, please visit the AJS Institute of Forensic Science and Public Policy’s website at www.ajs.org/wc/index.asp

Ghezahegn Asamere says:

December 31, 1969 at 6:00 pm

I am fully cognizant that we Americans don’t have Kings and Queens as our leaders. Our Presidents are our Leaders and they should equally enjoy the respect other world leaders have. I am deeply saddened to see on 60 minutes when Steve disrespected our president both verbal and non-verbal unprofessional conducts. I haave watched 60 minutes every week for many years. I have never been disappointed like the last week’s interview Steve conducted with President Barack Obama. Steve was indeed out of line. I wander who he thought he was when he displayed his offensive mannerisms (verbal and non verbal) with his hands in his pockets. This was journalism in a very, very bad taste. The President however, handled Steve’s unprofessional behavior and conducted himself in a matured and gracious manor. I hope CBS would fire this man. Dan Rather did nothing with Bush compared to what Steve did with our President. He destroyed the stature of the 60 minutes and tarnished the image of those hard working staff members like Leslie Stall. He made the last Sunday 60 minutes show like one of those Rush Limbaugh’s hot-air rhetoric. On Sunday evening, Steve’s covert racist behavior was displayed overtly in front of millions of audiences. I don’t know how CBS/60 minutes would survive for too long with Steve on its payroll.