Comments on: Eyewitness: How Accurate Is Visual Memory?

Lesley Stahl Reports On Flaws In Eyewitness Testimony That Lead To Wrong Convictions

[tek3889]

very sad. so nice the two families are all nice nice now. How about all the guys being executed in Texas who are also innocent? How about all the families with their lives destroyed when innocent people are put in prison and the story didn't end so well? Our legal process isn't an exact science. So we need to stop killing everyone as though it is. Well unless you condone killing people if there is a "chance" they are guilty.

[MADP55]

Imagine the results when the child is a witness.

[n4zhg]

Leslie, the police by and large want to clear cases and get someone arrested and convicted of a crime just to get them off their books. Getting the RIGHT criminal doesn't even reach #3 on their list of desires. Until this attitude changes, reform is impossible.

[WarrenRS]

The most disturbing thing about the story is the victim's own admission that she went to church and prayed to God that her rapist would be raped and killed in prison. What sort of a Christian is this woman? I'm not faulting her for not being able to find forgiveness in her heart for her rapist, but for her to think there is a God who would answer such an obscene prayer brings her soul into serious question. She needs to heal herself.

[clarissamiddleton]

This is very sad. Leslie Stahl, I hope you will not make this a feel good piece to provide a catharsis for women who picked out the wrong men.

Black men are afraid of the justice system because of things like this...after they have suffered a great injustice, where is the justice for that man? Should Jennifer and others pay eleven years of reparations?

Ask the tough questions, Leslie.

Thank you,

Clarissa

[akirasukura]

As much as she hated Cotton, I will hate her for the rest of my life. What a horrible person she is. Karma will catch up with her and she will regret the rest of her life for ruining his life. I want to throw up after watching her story. She makes me sick. She should pay every cent she owns to make up for what she did.

[justbreythe]

Wow. He has forgiven her, The Lord surely has forgiven her and yet you sit in judgement of her now. I'm thinking with attitude like that, you might want to ask forgiveness. She is not a horrible person. Horrible people do not make amends for what they have done, mistake or not. She is very honorable and I would be honored to call her friend. Perhaps you should do some more soul searching.

[islander09]

ummm, karma? This woman had an act of violence bestowed upon her that unless you are a woman you could never understand this! she has already stated that she is remorseful every day of her life since she learned of her mistake. Mistakes, you know, we make them everyday, that's a part of being human. Cotton has forgiven her and they are good friends, if he can forgive her that is all that should matter. And you think she should pay every day...she does she was violently raped.

[kdemotte]

How sad, that Cotton has chosen to forgive his accuser, but she has merely shifted her retaliatory hatred toward Poole and cannot let that go. I get that she was raped. And I get that Cotton was incarcerated for 11 years. One can forgive the injustice, but the other still can't. One is freed of the hate for the rest of his life, the other lives with hers even 'tho she stumps for this terrific reconciliation.

[uvaparent]

I would hate to see the police NOT take action because of false memory by a traumatized witness. Too many rapes go unreported and now the slant of the story may be interpreted as "too many innocent men are arrested and convicted". Thank God this man was let out of jail. However, the police obviously need to update techniques and must do a more professional job when prosecuting rapes.

For more information about college rapes, visit www.uvavictimsofrape.com

[dotkhan]

Another reason against the death penalty of which the United States is one of the last counties to use.
Death is over with quick vs living the rest of one's life in jail with no freedoms including family other than for the weekly visit.
Someone at the hearings this week on changing the state of Connecticut's death penalty law where the last execution was about 25 years ago asked:
If a death penalty reduces crime why is it Connecticut's crime rate similar to Texas which uses it more often?