Familiarity and Conviction in the Criminal Justice System : Definitions, Theory, and Eyewitness Research

Eyewitness research has focused mainly on stranger identification, but identification is also critical for the "familiar stranger." Understanding how variability in an eyewitness's familiarity with the perpetrator may influence recall and recognition accuracy will facilitate swifter and more just resolutions to crime. Familiarity and Conviction in the Criminal Justice System explores the concept of familiarity, ranging from complete unfamiliarity (as with a total stranger) to very familiar other (friends and family).