Exam 2: Lecture Notes

Question 1

What are the Khan applications?

Answer 1

1. Child needs to be interviewed soon after event - needs to be videotaped
2. Child needs to remember being truthful during interview (not necessarily what they said - just that they were being honest)

Question 2

Romeo Phillion

Answer 2

• Innocence Canada
• 1967: firefighter stabbed to death; Ottawa
• pressure to find killer
• Phillion out in line up but not identified
• 4 years later; during unrelated interview he falsely confessed because he thought he was messing with the police
• sentenced to life
• 1968: alibi confirmed (not disclosed in court)
• exonerated in old age

Question 3

Maria Shepherd

Answer 3

• Innocence Canada
• plead guilty to manslaughter of 3 year old step-daughter (died of medical conditions) in 1992
• option to plea: 2 years (instead of 21 and trial)
• would’ve lost other children
• Charles Smith; disgraces pathologist

Question 4

Charles Smith

Answer 4

• paediatric pathologist, not forensic
• zero forensic pathology training
• now disgraced
• fucked up a lot of cases

Question 5

Dinesh Kumar

Answer 5

• Innocence Canada
• crime: death of infant son
• offered deal he could not refuse: 90 days in prison (weekends); took it

Question 6

Systematic discrimination: vulnerabilities

Answer 6

1. Race
2. Gender
3. SES
4. Age
5. Mental Health
6. Culture (ex: prolonged eye-contact)
7. Linguistic

Question 7

Child testimony accuracy depends on (5)

Answer 7

• age (language, understanding)
• interview process & by whom
• time passed
• report itself
• how Act was interpreted by child

Question 8

Legal assumption of jury as decision makers (5)

Answer 8

1. Tabula rasa
2. Able to withhold verdict until all evidence in
3. Accurate memory of details
4. Evaluate according to judges instructions
5. Will not be influenced by irrelevant info