Although I believe that the most effective means to maximize the quality of eyewitness evidence is through law enforcement training and policy development, a critical service I provide involves working with prosecutors and defense attorneys to evaluate the quality of the evidence available in their cases. In this role, I do not make any efforts to determine witness accuracy and will not proffer any conclusions in that regard. Rather, I use my knowledge of the scientific study of eyewitness memory and decision-making to help educate attorneys and the trier-of-fact on what factors are relevant when considering the reliability of eyewitness evidence.

Pre-trial/Trial Consulting

I have consulted with both prosecutors and defense attorneys on over 70 criminal and civil cases that include some form of eyewitness evidence. Through this work, I have assisted attorneys with the pre-trial evaluation of eyewitness evidence as well as developing strategies for witness interviewing and trial questioning. In addition, I have conducted numerous scientific evaluations of photoarrays/lineups to assess the extent to which they were adequately constructed. 

Expert Testimony

I have been qualified as an expert in military, federal, and multiple state courts (i.e., AZ, MT, NM, TX, WA). Through this work, I have provided expert testimony on the factors that influence eyewitness memory and identification decisions. Topics that I have provided testimony on include factors that influence the initial memory (e.g., viewing conditions, disguise, stress, weapon presence, cross-race effect, exposure duration, witness intoxication, multiple perpetrators), factors that may occur between the crime and interview/identification procedure (e.g., delay, co-witness effects, media exposure), and factors that may influence witness reports and identification decisions (e.g., composite sketches, showups, photoarray/lineup quality, pre-lineup instructions, administrator knowledge, lineup presentation format, suggestive questioning, response latency, witness confidence, repeated procedures). 

Post-Conviction Evidence Evaluation

I have worked with attorneys representing clients through their post-conviction processes including mandatory appeals for those on death row and habeas petitions. Combining these experiences with those gleaned from regularly teaching a course on wrongful convictions, I am knowledgeable of the nuances associated with these processes and the role a psychologist can play in evaluating the eyewitness evidence and witness testimony.