need to add title here

Eyewitness Testimony Part 1

March 12, 2009 9:14 AM

Lesley Stahl reports on flaws in eyewitness testimony that are at the heart of the DNA exonerations of falsely convicted people like Ronald Cotton, who has now forgiven his accuser, Jennifer Thompson.

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by nortonsanidote June 11, 2009 9:13 PM EDT
I'm shooting from the hip here. What research is there that combines spinal memory and DNA? Can you tap your memory in places other than what is normally referred to as your brain? Oh where the mind does lead - or what does lead the mind? Can a physical body manipulation or position trigger visual memory? Bone, muscle and mind working together to increase or revive recollection. I think this is possible. I think it happens - perhaps without our self-observation.
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by cliftonk77 March 16, 2009 5:20 PM EDT
Lesley Stahl, in this piece, gave bigotry and racism in America a free pass!

The vast majority of men falsly accused in America is "African American" men. It is egregiously appalling to do a piece on wrongful conviction and not to mention the effects of bigotry and racism with identification and convictions. The stereotype hold true: "They all look alike." Rhetorically speaking, how many people have heard and have shamefully said this?

This piece have removed accountability from police personelle and those claiming to be eyewitnesses. By not addressing one of the greatest root cause of these false convictions, which is racism, they will continue; only now, no one will be held accountable because they were given a way out.

I find it purplexing that a correspondent of Lesley Stahl's calibar would neglect to report on this most fundamental subject in America's criminal justice system?

Clif
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by ksgallo March 10, 2009 1:36 PM EDT
First of all I would like to thank 60 minutes, reporter Lesley Stahl, Ronald Cotton, and Jennifer Thompson for revealing this report to the public. My son's teacher asked me to watch this report and I immediately tuned in online after speaking with her on the phone and tears came to my eyes as I was listening. My son is being accused of a sexual assault and battery charge at his high school. This attack was said to have happened on 11-10-08 and my son was brought in for questioning by deputies on 12-3-08. My son has never been involved with the law and was quite confused when the deputy read him his rights, asked questions regarding the attack in which my son had no knowledge, and performed a DNA procedure. Though there has been no linking evidence the school has continued to go forward and suspend with intent to expel my son on the word of the victim alone. My son has always professed his innocence in this matter and upon reviewing the statements from the administration and the victim, we know for fact that he is innocent. The problem is that a school does not need to establish a burden of proof and can move to expel based on the victim's word. We are told that DNA can take up to one year and in the process my son cannot live the life that he wants at a high school he loves due to a false accusation. I am impressed with the level of grace and forgiveness that I was able to see on your report between Mr. Cotton and Mrs. Thompson and I only hope that my son will have such a chance to be known for who he is and not how he has been labeled. God Bless you all.
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by fdarechiga March 9, 2009 11:01 PM EDT
Stupid beach!!!
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by UNbnMK March 9, 2009 5:04 PM EDT
Not mentioned in the report is that it is often more difficult for whites to recognize the differences in black and blacks in whites if they do not interact with them on a daily basis.

We all should be demanding that the defense is given access to all DNA evidence.

All though it would not have helped in Cotton's original trial, to often today is considered the property of the state. And what about the backlog of DNA that convicts have been waiting for years to have evaluated.

What is wrong with a justice system that is not interested in justice?
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by gtpc March 9, 2009 1:51 PM EDT
why don't law enforcement ALSO use the voice to identify the person. The facial recognition is only one of the identifying characteristics, voice is another one, so is built and obviously DNA, which vindicated the suspect at the very end.
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by Kvnjoshua8 March 9, 2009 6:29 AM EDT
Great Story "Eye.. Wit.."
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by flyona March 9, 2009 3:18 AM EDT
I know a little something about prejudice from personal experience. I was raped in 1982. For several months afterward, I had an uncontrollable response whenever I saw a man who looked to me a lot like the man who raped me. I shuddered and had to look away. I was surprised by this, because I didn't think I had any prejudices. Believe me, I couldn't stop this automatic response.
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by lilprembert March 9, 2009 2:03 AM EDT
I am so glad that I'm not the only one that is looking for fairness. 5 years ago my husband was wrongly accused of robbery. This girl and her boyfriend robbed her father, She was scared to tell on her boyfriend so she picked out a man that looked like her boyfriend on a picture line up. She says that they made her.We asked for a live line up, but was refused. My husband was arrested and have been in jail every since. About 2 years later she attempted suicide saying that she couldn't live with herself with the lie she told and asked me to come and see her. I agreed as long as I could bring a witness, she agreed, I took my Pastor. At that time she broke down and wrote a affidavit saying that my husband was innocent and told who was with her. She asked my Pastor to take her to the prosecutors and she told the same story and they said that it was to late because he was convicted by his own peers. He was convicted on his past. They had his parole officer as a witness, which let the jury know that he had a past, we had an attorney, but we didn't know that this was his first big trial, He has never been asked for an alibi, His constitutional rights were violated in many ways, none of his witnesses were aloud to testify, The victim called the police about 2.5 years later and said that the man that robbed him keep harrassing him, and told the man name and that was the same name that the daughter gave. They keep changing their story ,because now she tells me that she can't go to jail for perjury. Also you need to know that both of them are drug and alcohol abusers with a record. If you see this man and see my husband I must say myself they diffinetly could be mistaken for each other. I have a photo of the man that was given to us by another women that he robbed. I talked to his PO and he said that this was his motto and they were looking for him, but so far no luck. I have enough proof and evidence to get this case re-opened, but noone will listen to me. Can you help us????? As for DNA if my husband did what they said he did they should have some. I really can't explain everything on this, but if someone will take a moment and contact me, I can tell it all and back it up with paperwork. All we want is justice, I'm sorry that the man got robbed, but let the man that robbed him serve the time not my husband. We just want a fair trial (JUSTICE IS FOR ALL) or is it.?? 419.522.5322 or lilprembert@yahoo.com Hope to hear from you or someone. PLEASE HELP US.
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by ahmadaeus March 9, 2009 1:50 AM EDT
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Let?s assume that the real danger of privatization is not some innate inhumanity on the part of its practitioners but rather the added financial incentives that reward inhumanity. The same logic that motivates companies to operate prisons more efficiently also encourages them to cut corners at the expense of workers, prisoners and the public. Every penny they do not spend on food, medical care or training for guards is a dime they can pocket. What happens when the pennies pocketed are not enough for the shareholders? Who will bailout the private prison industry when they hold the government and the American people hostage with the threat of financial failure??bankruptcy?? What was unimaginable a month ago merits serious consideration today. State and Federal prison programs originate from government design, and therefore, need to be maintained by the government. It?s time to restore the principles and the vacated promise of our judicial system.



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by danomac53 March 9, 2009 1:14 AM EDT
Justice Not Served in Shaun Rodrigues Doubt-Ridden Conviction



http://www.shaunrodriguesisinnocent.citymaker.com/shaunrodriguesisinnocent.html
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by bfgleason March 8, 2009 11:49 PM EDT
On your eyewitness story it reminded me of a show on tv years ago where they actually had a white postman talking to a person, during the conversation a couple of construction workers carring a large 4X8 foot piece of wood walked in between the two. As the wood passeded inbetween them a black postman took the place of the white postman anstood the same and talked about the same thing and the person didn't noticed anything different. How strange this test was, it was on memory testing.

Sincerely

Bill Gleason
Gold Bar , Wa.
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by agedclaydog March 8, 2009 11:24 PM EDT
I WAS PART OF THAT TEST FROM ISU!! I WAS ON THE FAR LEFT #1 -TOO FUNNY!!! GOOD OLD DR.WELLS/ 12 YEARS AGO (ROUGHLY) : )
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by RobertMWoods1 March 8, 2009 11:21 PM EDT
Ronald Cotton's story is truly amazing, but what amazes me most is how little the state of North Carolina compensated this gracious man for all those lost years.
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by msdavis1219 March 8, 2009 10:59 PM EDT
Wow, where do I begin? I usually don't leave comments but this is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. I am so thankful for 60 minutes sharing this story. Our prison system is full of innocent people whose life, liberty and justice has been denied. One person falsely incarcerated is one too many. I am personally in the process of helping a lady who's husband has been wrongfully convicted- according to facts and evidence she has. I work for city government, and we cannot help, so who does? No one wants to get involved. She has folders and folders full of letters from Governors, Senators, The White House, The Department of Justice and much more all saying they can't help, so who can? When the Justice System that was put in place to protect us, fails us, who helps the innocent then? Prosecutors and Policemen have too much power to go unchecked. They must be held responsible and accountable for their misconduct such as all people. I met with this lady along with other leaders in the government and she submitted to us evidence that clearly shows that her husband is innocent. What makes this case even more sensitive, is that as a young man, right after graduation he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served honorable for nearly 30 years. He has an impeccable military record( including marching with Ronald Reagan and serving at Desert Storm where he was wounded) and according to the evidence I saw and what America needs to see and what a new jury needs to see is not only did this man have a very unfair trial, she has evidence to prove he is innocent. It's way too much evidence to write in this comment section. Is this how our government treats our Marines? Our Citizens? They have sacrificed a lot to serve this wonderful country we live in. Her husband was stationed at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina and convicted of a murder that happened off base in Onslow County. She has evidence that can clear her husband's name. She has been fighting this fight for over 5 years now. There are many things that aren't right with this case: Miranda Rights were violated, no witnesses testified on his behalf , victim's cellular phone bill (indication of activities on the date victim was murdered) was subpoenaed and never showed up? medical examiner did not go to the crime scene, the deputy sheriff put the victim in a body bag?, no time of death on death certificate, etc. etc. etc. All she asking is for someone to take a look at all the evidence she has. All she is asking for is for some response from the Department of Justice. Dateline NBC and Justice Denied Magazine have been contacted as well, and to date no response. All she is asking for is to re-open this case. All she wants is justice. DNA testing may be a possibility in this case as well. Thank You
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by K2468 March 8, 2009 10:26 PM EDT
The "feel good" part of this story revolves around one incredible man, Ronald Cotton. From a tragic situation, through the power and honor of forgiveness and empathy Ronald Cotton is my hero of the day...

Congrats to both Ronald and Jennifer Thompson-Cannino in recognizing that together they were victims of the same crime, and working together in salvaging their own lives while helping the lives of others in the process.

Great story, thanks so much for sharing it with us all...
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by w0521501 March 8, 2009 10:15 PM EDT
Ronald Cotton is a great man!

A powerful story with a superb ending.
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by March 8, 2009 9:12 PM EDT
We can be thankful of the modern DNA technology that has freed a number of innocent people of crimes they did not commit. This technology certainly can now be used to eliminate innocent suspects early in the investigative process. However I cannot forget the O J Simpson case where Simpson's DNA was found at a number of key places yet his "dream" team of lawyers dismissed this by suggesting that the DNA was contaminated or the detectives had deliberately planted Simpson's blood at the key locations. Who was on Simpson's "dream" team? None other than Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld who have formed the Innocence Project that is investigating cases and using DNA evidence to overturn guilt verdicts. I am all for the truth which is supported by DNA evidence but it appears that Scheck and Neufeld were not too interested in truth supported by DNA evidence during the O J trial.
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by mc63 March 8, 2009 8:28 PM EDT
I have had personal experience with faulty eyewitness testimony. You are right about how effective eyewitness testimony is on a jury. My son is now in jail for a crime that he did not commit due to eyewitness testimony. This despite the fact that the witness' description of the perpertrator was almost the exact opposite of my son. We discovered that the detectives had placed my son in the same room with the eyewitness on the day that the crime was committed. She was put in the same room with him, shackled and handcuffed. We feel that this was done so that she could get a good look at him and be able to point him out. We are now in the process of trying to appeal a 20 year sentence that has been handed down. Is there any chance that 60 Minutes could investigate my son's case? I've tried to get organizations to help, but with no results. If you can, I can be reached at my e-mail address or at jaymcannon@aol.com. My address is 3676 Tree Bark Trail, Decatur, Ga. 30034. MY phone number is 404 284 5590.
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by rbfurman March 8, 2009 8:21 PM EDT
I was convicted of a rape I did not commit. I have spent over 20 years in prison. At that time of my arrest and conviction there was no such thing as DNA testing. 1979 and released in 2002. I have tried to find someone to take my case but unfortunately I do not have the monies to hire an attorney. The Innocent Project dropped my case and the DNA evidence was found but never tested. There was no line up and the FBI fiber samples taken at the time matched nothing found at the crime scene or on the victim. Yet I was still convicted. The Westchester DA office basically denied my most recent motion that was filed for DNA testing was because I did specify what was to be tested for DNA. Any doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what should be tested for DNA (any & everything possible where DNA might be found. I am reaching out to CBS to continue my quest to clear my name.
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