5. The Wrong Man: What causes misidentification?
Ronald Cotton spent 10 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. How racism fuels miscarriages of justice and why eyewitness accounts can be problematic.
A man breaks into Jennifer Thompson’s apartment, severs her phone wires and rapes her. Jennifer studies his face, hoping to remember enough details so that she can identify him later.
In a police line-up, Jennifer is able to point out Ronald Cotton as her rapist and in two separate trials he is convicted of rape and burglary. He is sentenced to life in prison plus fifty-four years. It seems like the case is resolved. There’s only one problem: Cotton is innocent.
On this episode of Bad People, presenters Julia Shaw and Sofie Hagen discuss why we should all be weary of our memory when identifying a person of a different race.
Warning: This episode contains strong language and references to sexual violence.
Archive credits: This episode contains audio from CBS News and CDI (La Ciudad de Ias Ideas) International Festival.
CREDITS:
Presenters: Dr. Julia Shaw and Sofie Hagen
Producer: Louisa Field
Assistant Producer: Simona Rata
Music: Matt Chandler
Series Editor: Rami Tzabar
Commissioning Producer: Hannah Rose
Commissioning Executive: Dylan Haskins
Commissioning Editor: Jason Phipps
Bad People is a Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Audio Science Production for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Sounds
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Bad People
True crime stories and insights into why people do bad things.
