Your world. Our research. www.txstate.edu/discover GUILTY NOTGUILTY Source: The Innocence Project of Texas *Statistic based on first 40 DNA exonerations in Texas TEXAS EXONERATION STATISTICS Number of DNA Exonerations: 49 Average Number of Years Incarcerated*: 13.5 Percentage of Cases Involving an Eyewitness ID Error*: 80 WEIGHING THE EVIDENCE An ignored clue. A misidentified fingerprint. A nervous smile interpreted as a guilty smirk. Misunderstandings of evidence can tip the scales of justice the wrong way, causing innocent people to wind up behind bars and guilty people to run free. Texas State professor Kim Rossmo, a former detective inspector, researches how faulty investigative thinking can result in an unsolved crime or a wrongful conviction. In his book Criminal Investigative Failures, Rossmo details his findings, which have helped police agencies around the world increase their awareness of potential pitfalls, resulting in improved investigative techniques. e justice system will never be perfect, but Rossmo is helping to balance its scales.

Percentage of Cases Involving an Eyewitness ID …...Criminal Investigative Failures, Rossmo details his findings, which have helped police agencies around the world increase their

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Page 1: Percentage of Cases Involving an Eyewitness ID …...Criminal Investigative Failures, Rossmo details his findings, which have helped police agencies around the world increase their

Your world. Our research. www.txstate.edu/discover

GUILTYNOTGUILTY?Source: The Innocence Project of Texas

*Statistic based on first 40 DNA exonerations in Texas

T E X A S E X O N E R AT IO N S TAT I S T IC S

Number of DNA Exonerations: 49

Average Number of Years Incarcerated*: 13.5

Percentage of Cases Involving an Eyewitness ID Error*: 80

WEIGHING THE EVIDENCE An ignored clue. A misidentified fingerprint. A nervous smile interpreted as a guilty smirk. Misunderstandings of evidence can tip the scales of justice the wrong way, causing innocent people to wind up behind bars and guilty people to run free.

Texas State professor Kim Rossmo, a former detective inspector, researches how faulty investigative thinking can result in an unsolved crime or a wrongful conviction. In his book Criminal Investigative Failures, Rossmo details his findings, which have helped police agencies around the world increase their awareness of potential pitfalls, resulting in improved investigative techniques.

The justice system will never be perfect, but Rossmo is helping to balance its scales.