Author Video

Watch the following videos in their entirety and answer the critical thinking questions below. 

Mary Dodge: Evidence and the Use of Technology in the Courtroom

Q1: Dr. Dodge discusses how technology is used to re-create a scene or a perspective of a crime. What are the benefits and concerns to doing this?

Q2: What are you thoughts on the virtual environment technology discussed by Dr. Dodge where jurors can walk through a crime scene?

Q3: Should both parties in a case have access to the same technology? Do presentations need to be, in a sense, equal?

 

Mary Dodge: Eye-Witness Testimony

Q1: Studies have shown that individuals often falsely identify offenders in line-ups, thus reducing the credibility of eyewitnesses. Are there ways jurors can better discern the truthfulness or credibility of eyewitnesses? Should jurors question what an eyewitness says?

Q2: How can jurors be prepared or coached to be aware of the tendency to rely too heavily on what an eyewitness says? Is there a way that this could be worked into jury instructions or would that type of coaching be unethical?

Callie Rennison - Complexity of Criminals: Dennis Bradford