True Crime False Memory Dr. Mitchell Eisen

Joseph was a 19-year old kid in New Orleans who was walking down the street with his friends, when a local police officer decided that he matched the description of someone who had committed an armed robbery the previous day. The officer decided to use the most suggestive identification procedure possible, which predictably resulted in Joseph being falsely identified, and facing the prospect of 60-years hard labor.

Danny was a tough kid from a local tagging crew, but he was no gunman. One day his life was turned completely upside down when he was accused of robbing seven taco stands at gunpoint. Learn how the police used faulty identification procedures which lead to Danny being misidentified by 13 different eyewitnesses! Listen to the story of how he and his lawyer Damon Hobdy used psychological science to fight these wrongful allegations against all odds.

Imagine walking down the street minding your own business when the police stop you, say you match the description of someone who just committed a serious crime, put you in handcuffs, and present you to a witness in the field. Before you could blink an eye, you have been misidentified and find yourself in a jail cell. The real kicker is, the witness who identified you actually went to high school with you years ago but does not remember you from those days. Rather, he figures that the reason you look familiar is because you’re the culprit.

A small town police officer in the San Diego area believes Michael committed a series of crimes and uses highly suggestive procedures in an attempt to obtain identifications from several eyewitnesses. Michael spends months in jail awaiting trial as the defense gradually pulls away at the layers of the government’s thin case to expose the wrongful prosecution.

A pizza is ordered to be delivered to a vacant apartment in a tough neighborhood, and when the 19-year old deliveryman walks up to the apartment complex he is rushed by two hooded gunmen who demand his money, food and phone. The apartment manager suggests that the police focus their investigation on Marvin, a 20-something year old tenant that she has been having trouble with and wants out of the complex. The only problem is, Marvin had nothing to do with the crime, and after being falsely identified from a suggestive photographic lineup he is thrown into jail and spent the next several months fighting for his freedom.

Two young gang bangers ride up to a couple of teens ask where they’re from, and when they don’t get the right answer they pull out guns and start shooting. One teen is killed and the other gets away. Johnny Sanchez is a 14-year old kid who lives in the neighborhood and he happens to match the description of one of the shooters, and because Johnny has a friend from school who is in the gang, the police consider him a suspect. Although Johnny had never been in trouble before, they put his picture in a lineup and he is identified as the killer. The only problem is, the lineup was obviously suggestive.