In a prior post, I wrote of Leslie Stahl's upcoming story scheduled to appear tonight on CBS's 60 Minutes about the inaccuracy and undependability of eye witness testimony.
The piece was as good, and important, as predicted, but focused primarily on one unique case that resulted in a book called Picking Cotton. The title comes from a rape, where the eye witness clearly, positively, and erroneously identified Bobby Cotton as her rapist - it was written by the victim and Cotton, who became friends many years after his conviction. The conviction was eventually overturned when DNA evidence identified a look alike, who had gone on the rape other woman after Cotton was wrongfully convicted. He served more than a decade in prison for the crime.
The story was moving, both from the standpoint of the years Cotton spent in prison and from his co-author. They frequently speak to groups about the errors of eye witness testimony. As much as anything else, this story suggests the need for education of the public, and reform of the system. I haven't read the book, and can't recommend it for that reason, but the story is important to hear. [The Amazon rating is 4 1/2 stars, however]
Podcasts of 60 Minutes episodes appear to be available here. For non-techies, this means you can download using programs such as iTunes.
