Leading Social Scientists Say Illinois Eyewitness Identification Study is Unreliable John Jay College of Criminal Justice The City University of New York 899 Tenth Ave., New York, N.Y., 10019 Chris Godek , 212-237-8628 Doreen Vinas, 212-237-8645 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 7/9/2007, 1:59:00 PM   ‘Blue-Ribbon’ panel of experts calls for more – and better – research of important law enforcement practices (New York, NY -- July 9, 2007) – A blue ribbon panel of social scientists, convened by the Center for Modern Forensic Practice of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said the Illinois Eyewitness Identification Field Study, which challenged 30 years of academic research into eyewitness identification procedures, was itself crippled by a design flaw that made the study's conclusions a dangerous basis for shaping public policy. In the July 2007 issue of Law and Human Behavior, these social scientists, who included Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman of Princeton and Harvard Professor and author Daniel Schachter, contend that the Illinois program’s method of comparing new “sequential double-blind” line-up procedures to traditional non-blind procedures makes the report unreliable in determining effective eyewitness identification procedures. The researchers report that their reading of the Illinois materials forced them to conclude that the Illinois study’s fundamental design flaw, “has devastating consequences for assessing the real-world implications of this particular study.” In fact, the article also says, “…the design guaranteed that most outcomes would be difficult or impossible to interpret. The only way to sort this out is by conducting further studies…” In the “sequential double-blind” procedures witnesses see photos or lineup members one at a time, rather than all together as in the traditional method, and the line-up administrator does not know who the suspect is. This procedure has been implemented by a number of jurisdictions nationwide, spurred by a disturbing number of wrongful convictions in eyewitness cases exposed by DNA, and supported by 30 years of academic research showing that the new technique increases the accuracy of identifications. The Illinois report published in 2006 received substantial media attention for its conclusion that sequential double blind eyewitness identification actually led to higher rates of false identification. Subsequently, the Illinois field study was used to defeat legislation in several states that would have mandated “sequential double-blind” as standard practice. A Minnesota field study, also released in 2006, confirmed that sequential double-blind eyewitness identification procedures increased accuracy, further complicating the area of line-up reform. According to James Doyle, Director of the Center for Modern Forensic Practice, “We convened some of the nation’s leading experts to look at the Illinois report because it’s critical that criminal justice policy be based on sound science. They found, unequivocally, that the Illinois report cannot be relied on to determine whether sequential double-blind procedures are effective. Most importantly, they recommend that future study of these procedures be designed in consultation with qualified scientists from the beginning, so that such studies can produce solid, reliable guidance for practitioners and policymakers.” The article titled “Policy Forum: Studying Eyewitness Investigations in the Field” can be found in the journal Law and Human Behavior, published by the American Psychology-Law Society, Division 41 of the American Psychological Association. To read the full article, please go to .http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/extra/policyforum.pdf The authors of the article are: * Daniel Schacter, Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, author "The Seven Sins of Memory" * Robyn Dawes, Queenan Distinguished University Professor, Carnegie Mellon University, Fellow, American Statistical Association * Henry L. "Roddy" Roediger III, James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor at Washington University, former President, Association for Psychological Science * Larry L. Jacoby, Professor at Washington University * Daniel Kahneman, Professor of Psychology, Princeton University, 2002 Nobel Laureate in Economics * Richard Lempert, Distinguished Professor, University of Michigan School of Law; Division Director for the Social and Economic Sciences at the National Science Foundation, 2002-2006 * Robert Rosenthal, Distinguished Professor University of California, Riverside, and Pierce Professor of Psychology emeritus, Harvard University, Co-Chair Task Force on Statistical Inference, American Psychological Association The Center for Modern Forensic Practice, launched in 2006, is designed to integrate the best of new scientific developments into both investigative and adjudicative practice. The Center aims to assist criminal justice professionals in evaluating modern forensic techniques, and incorporating them into their local situations. This will include advanced training in DNA techniques. Veteran litigator and author James M. Doyle is serving as its interim director. Established in 1964, John Jay College of Criminal Justice of The City University of New York is an international leader in educating for justice. It offers a rich liberal arts and professional studies curriculum to upwards of 14,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 135 nations. In teaching and research, the College approaches justice as an applied art in service to society and as an ongoing conversation about fundamental human desires for fairness, equality and the rule of law. #