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Face Value? How Jurors Evaluate Eyewitness Face Recognition Ability

Although reports of postidentification confidence are not always reliable indicators of eyewitness accuracy, jurors rely heavily on eyewitness confidence to evaluate eyewitnesses. Face memory ability tests, however, provide objective information about a person’s ability to encode and recognize a face and affects the strength of the connection between confidence statements and accuracy. This study examines how jurors and lay persons might interpret this information. By: Adele Quigley-McBride, William Crozier, Chad S. Dodson, Jennifer Teitcher, and Brandon Garrett — Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition (2022).

Accuracy of Evidence in Criminal Cases

July 22, 2022

Illinois v. Prante

This amicus brief challenged the reliability of bite mark evidence in Illinois, a Frye state. The brief shows why bite mark evidence is inherently unreliable and urges the Illinois Supreme Court to explicitly declare bite mark evidence inadmissible under Frye. Mr. Prante is represented by the Exoneration Project and the Innocence Project. We filed the brief together with Fox Swibel in Chicago, along with the Innocence Network, legal scholars, scientists and statisticians.

Accuracy of Evidence in Criminal Cases

July 13, 2022

AEDPA Repeal

This article provides a lwgislative roadmap for habeas reform through Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA) repeal. By: Brandon L. Garrett and Kaitlin Phillips — Cornell Law Review (2022)

Equity in Criminal Outcomes

June 22, 2022

Impact of Trauma Education and Growth Mindset Messaging on Public Attitudes about the Criminal Legal System

Identifying ways to shift public attitudes toward support for alternative approaches to criminalized behavior is necessary to address mass incarceration. This study examines whether education on the impacts of traumatic events may be one strategy to increase such support and whether effects can be amplified through incorporation of growth mindset messaging. By: Eva McKinsey, Sarah L. Desmarais, Jeni L. Burnette, and Brandon L. Garrett — Journal of Experimental Criminology (2022)

Behavioral Health Needs

March 22, 2022

Monitoring Pretrial Reform In Harris County: Fourth Report Of The Court-Appointed Monitor

Wilson Center Faculty Director Brandon Garrett serves as independent monitor for the landmark federal bail reform settlement in Harris County, TX. This first report by the monitor team describes the first two years of work evaluating the implementation of the misdemeanor bail reforms in Harris County, Texas. (2022)

Equity in Criminal Outcomes

March 21, 2022

A Practical Tool for Information Management in Forensic Fecisions: Using Linear Sequential Unmasking-Expanded (LSU-E) in Casework

Contextual information can influence how forensic analysts perceive, interpret, and evaluate evidence. Proper information sequencing can reduce bias and improve the repeatability and reproducibility of forensic decisions. Linear Sequential Unmasking–Expanded (LSU-E) prioritizes objective, relevant, and non-suggestive information. To close the gap between research and practice, we developed a worksheet to help laboratories and analysts implement LSU-E. This worksheet aims to optimize information sequencing and promote transparency in forensic decisions. By: Adele Quigley-McBride, Itiel E. Dror, Tiffany Roy, Brandon L. Garrett, and Jeff Kukucka — Forensic Science International: Synergy (2022)

Accuracy of Evidence in Criminal Cases

January 22, 2022

The Bridge Between Racial Justice and Clinical Practice

This article examines the factors leading to the the failure of the U.S. mental health care system in caring for Black and Brown people with serious mental illnesses, including the Inmate Exclusion Policy and the failure of providers to accept Medicare. By: Stephanie A. Rolin, M.D., M.P.H., Danielle S. Jackson, M.D., M.P.H., and Marvin S. Swartz, M.D. — Psychiatric Services (2021)

Behavioral Health Needs

December 22, 2021

Driving Injustice: Consequences and Disparities in North Carolina Criminal Legal and Traffic Debt

North Carolina is our Exhibit A in what can go wrong when an entire state relies on fines and fees from low-level cases to generate revenue. A team of researchers from the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law released this report describing three studies examining fines, fees, and driver’s license suspensions in North Carolina. (2021)

Equity in Criminal Outcomes

December 13, 2021

Juarez v. Garland

This amicus brief was filed on behalf of several scholars and organizations, including Brandon Garrett and Yvette Garcia Missri at the Wilson Center and Gabe Berumen, J.D. Candidate, Class of 2023, Duke University School of Law, and the Idaho Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. It argues that the Board of Immigration Appeals erred in concluding that an individual drug substance is an element of the state’s criminal code.

Accuracy of Evidence in Criminal Cases

October 15, 2021

Understanding the Impact of Driver’s License Suspension: Lay Opinion in Impacted and Non-Impacted Populations

This article published in Justice Evaluation examines the impact of driver’s license suspensions. The authors surveyed people in North Carolina (N = 853) and found that 18% of respondents had a suspended license, with race and low income predicting higher suspension rates, and increased difficulty for daily activities and ability to pay for housing. The authors also offer policy recommendations including abolishing suspension, other incremental options, and restoration efforts. By William E. Crozier, Brandon L. Garrett, and Karima Modjadidi.

Equity in Criminal Outcomes

September 1, 2021