Introduction
"The case against "Toño" was built on the basis of a single eyewitness identification. Mistaken eyewitness identification is the single greatest cause of wrongful convictions in the United States, accounting for more than 75 percent of convictions overturned through DNA testing. Eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable and the procedures used by police officers during the identification process often contribute to the problem." Read more »
"There will always be innocents convicted and guilty people acquitted. Criminal justice systems seek to strike the best balance, keeping such error to a minimum. What is evident from Presumed Guilty is that the Mexican system, to the extent that it is accurately represented by this film, favors wrongful convictions, and is therefore off balance by most modern standards of liberty and justice." Read more »
Elizabeth Loftus
"Wrongful convictions are tragedies that should prompt us to integrate psychological science into law and courtroom practice. Judges, jurors, attorneys and police officers could benefit from better understanding of human memory. At a minimum, it is important to appreciate fully that memory is malleable. Memories can be changed by things that we are told, as apparently happened with the witness against Antonio". Read more »
"Mexico is poised to change its criminal justice system from one that presumes guilt at trial to one that presumes innocence, effective 2016. If this reform is implemented and the new presumption of innocence is taken seriously, it should lead to important changes in police practices and trial procedures that could prevent miscarriages of justice like the one depicted in the documentary." Read more »