Abstract
Eyewitness testimony is generated through communication between the examiner and non-examiner (eyewitness) in interrogation rooms or public courts. In this analysis, the authors have studied the ‘fact-generating’ process microscopically, and the issue of credibility in testifying from one's experience. Specifically, they examined the Kabutoyama case, in which it took more than 20 years to render a final verdict of not guilty. They closely examined the credibility of testimony made by a key witness in the case. After analysing the testimony both qualitatively and quantitatively, they observed several characteristics in the witness-examiner exchanges and consider that non-empirical eyewitness testimony is a product of witness-examiner interactions. This paper is based on a research project carried out to report on expert opinion regarding credibility of eyewitness testimony. Part of the results of this project have already been published by Mori and Ohashi (1997).
Published Version
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