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EYEWITNESS ID ACT FAILS TO LEAVE COMMITTEE

As of the close of the 2006 Georgia legislative session, HB 1256, the Eyewitness Identification Accuracy Enhancement Act, had failed to emerge from the House Rules Committee. The Georgia Innocence Project will spend the remainder of this year working with the state's law enforcement community and legislators to develop a similar bill for the 2007 legislation session.

HOUSE COMMITTEE APPROVES
EYEWITNESS IDENTIFICATION ACCURACY ENHANCEMENT ACT

Atlanta --March 9, 2006
Contact: Lisa George
GIP Communications Director
(404) 872-8236

The House Judiciary Committee has approved HB 1256, the Eyewitness Identification Accuracy Enhancement Act.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield, seeks to set statewide guideines for police line-ups that can greatly reduce the chances of inaccurate identification of suspects by victims and witnesses of crimes.

The bill now goes to the House Rules Committee.

For more information on the bill, see below, and to read the full bill, please click here.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HEARING ON
EYEWITNESS IDENTIFICATION ACCURACY ENHANCEMENT ACT

Atlanta --March 6, 2006
Contact: Lisa George
GIP Communications Director
(404) 872-8236

On Tuesday, March 7, 2006, a Georgia House of Representatives judiciary committee will host a hearing on the proposed Eyewitness Identification Accuracy Enhancement Act (HB 1256).

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield, seeks to set statewide guideines for police line-ups that can greatly reduce the chances of inaccurate identification of suspects by victims and witnesses of crimes.

All five of Georgia's DNA exonerees were wrongly convicted based largely on the identification testimony of the victims in the cases. DNA evidence later proved the identifications in each case to be incorrect.

The bill calls for police line-ups, both photographic and live, to be performed sequentially rather than simultaneously. This will allow an eyewitness to compare the image of each person against his or her memory instead of against each other.

The bill also calls for the administrator of any line-up, whenever possible, to be unaware of which member of the line-up is the actual suspect. This can prevent any verbal or nonverbal cues, often inadvertent, to the eyewitness about the identity of the suspect.

The committee hearing on the bill is scheduled for 10:00AM, Tuesday, March 7, 2006, in Legislative Office Building 515.

For a full transcript of the bill, please click here.