Eyewitness reports provided by children can be reliable, provided that the questions presented to them are open– ended and do not contain suggestions, which children are likely to agree with.Click to see full answer. Accordingly, how reliable is children’s eyewitness testimony? Better Talking to a Janitor Ceci said children — even 3-year-olds — can be credible witnesses if their memory is not tainted by leading questions. “They may not tell you a lot, but what they tell you, you can go to the bank with. It’ll be highly accurate,” he said.Beside above, should child witness testimony be used in criminal cases? Testimony is helpful onlyif the witness is competent (qualified) to testify. In most states and in federal court, all children are presumed competent to testify. In order to be competent to testify, the child must: be able to recall events accurately. Considering this, can children provide eyewitness testimony? An eyewitness testimony is a statement given under oath by a person present at an event who can describe what happened. During circumstances in which a child is a witness to the event, the child can be used to deliver a testimony on the stand.Are children’s memories accurate?Childhood memories are less accurate than people think, with the brain likely to fill in gaps when it cannot remember the detail, it has been suggested. Psychologists have found that while people can usually remember the “what”, “where” and “who” of a situation, they struggle to recall a full mental image.
