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52 Osgoode Hall L. J. 819 (2014-2016)
Earwitness Evidence: The Reliability of Voice Identifications

handle is hein.journals/ohlj52 and id is 799 raw text is: 
















                                                                          819









Earwitness Evidence: The Reliability of

Voice Identifications




CHRISTOPHER SHERRIN*


White much attention has been paid to the frailties of eyewitness evidence, tittte attention has
been given to the reliability of voice identification evidence, even though such earwitness
evidence has been tendered in several wrongfut conviction cases. The author reviews the
empirical literature on the reliability of earwitness evidence and compares it to the principal
factors used by Canadian criminal courts to assess earwitness testimony. The author
conctudes that earwitness evidence often can be quite unreliable and that the courts have
not always property assessed its reliability, offering some suggestions for reform.

Ators que ton se preoccupe beaucoup de [a fragitite des preuves apportees par des temoins
ocutaires, on negtige trop souvent [a fiabitite des preuves decoutant de tidentification de
voix, meme si de tettes preuves ont parfois mene a des condamnations injustifiees. Iauteur
passe en revue [a documentation empirique touchant [a fiabitite des preuves apportees par
tes temoins auditifs et compare ces dernieres aux principaux facteurs utitises au Canada par
tes cours criminettes pour evatuer tes temoins auditifs. L'auteur conctut que tes temoignages
auditifs sont souvent tres peu fiabtes et que tes cours n'ont pas toujours evatue correctement
teur fiabitite, en apportant quetques suggestions de changement.


Faculty of Law, Western University. My thanks to Ian Scott for his comments on an earlier
version of this article. Any remaining errors are my own.

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