People with mental retardation as witnesses in court: A review

Evidence concerning eyewitness testimony given by people with mental retard ation in court was reviewed. Despite general perceptions that people with m ental retardation make incompetent witnesses, available evidence suggests t hat they can provide accurate accounts of witnessed events. The accounts ar e usually less complete than those provided by the general population and a re greatly influenced by the methods of questioning. The sparse available e vidence suggests that cross-examination methods may lead to memory distorti on. The use of closed, complex, and leading questions and the absence of ai ds to recall may have a particularly adverse effect on people with mental r etardation. Resulting errors could lead to a false conviction or acquittal. Future policy and research in this much neglected area were discussed.