A social psychological analysis of the criminal justice system.

1983 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 401-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norbert L. Kerr
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Psychological Analysis

Familiarity and Conviction in the Criminal Justice System

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Pozzulo ◽  
Emily Pica ◽  
Chelsea Sheahan
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Eyewitness Identification ◽  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Eyewitness Accuracy ◽  
System P ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Jury Decision

Eyewitnesses are likely to have some degree of familiarity with a perpetrator when a crime is committed. Despite the fact that the majority of crimes are committed by someone with whom the victim/witness is familiar, the majority of eyewitness research has focused on the identification of stranger perpetrators. It is critical to examine how familiarity may influence eyewitness accuracy. Familiarity can vary from a complete stranger to a very familiar other. This book explores the “middle ground” as it relates to the criminal justice system, namely describing perpetrators, eyewitness identification, and jury decision-making. The purpose of this book is to consolidate the literature that exists regarding familiarity and to apply this research to an eyewitness context. This book attempts to better understand how familiarity may impact eyewitnesses and to highlight key considerations when an eyewitness is familiar with a perpetrator while collecting eyewitness evidence and using it in a courtroom. This is achieved through an in-depth discussion of the definition of familiarity, the examination of critical social psychological and cognitive theory in relation to familiarity, a description of the current literature examining eyewitness familiarity, a discussion of familiarity evidence in the courtroom, and a proposal for future directions and research.

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