Criminal Justice in the US with Main Focus on Eyewitnesses (Essay Sample)

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Criminal Justice
In the US Criminal Justice, agencies of law enforcement such as police officers and detectives must rely on the testimonies presented by witnesses. Statements given by eyewitnesses are imperative when solving a crime. Though sometimes not reliable, testimonies augment forensic evidence results. As such, the results can be used to corroborate the evidence obtained for a prosecution. However, the corroboration of the evidence given through eyewitness testimonies may either cast doubt or can be accurate. There exist various scientific litanies of experiments used in assessing the accuracy of the declarations such as DNA and the Polygraph. Eyewitnesses rely on what their minds can recall. This factor calls for a rule to establish reliability or doubt.
There are different types of eyewitness identification. However, the main types are photo identification lineups and shows, polygraphs, scientific testimonies, and motions to suppress identifications. Photo identification takes place when eyewitnesses are exposed to the 'six-pack' or the mug shots of the suspect with other similar people (Birzer and Roberson). Upon identification, a law enforcement officer can document the information to process the case further. However, the legality of photo identification has been challenged. The Manson V. Brathwaite (1977) No. 75-871 is an example that this type of eyewitness has been contested (Birzer and Roberson). A police officer named Glover working undercover bought heroin from one of the drug peddlers and described the seller to another officer. The other officer suspected the description and left photography with Glover, who later saw it and positively identified