Alcoholic Intoxication
Alcoholic intoxication, often common in the commission of crimes, can also cause problems. Surprisingly, it is not uncommon for eyewitnesses in the real world to have been under the influence of alcohol. In one study, 75% of police officers who were surveyed reported that while investigating crimes, they routinely encounter witnesses who are drunk or under the influence of other drugs during the crime or the interview with police. In a second study, an analysis of criminal case files from a district attorney’s office—involving rape, assault, and robbery—revealed that 13% of eyewitnesses and 28% of suspects were under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. What’s more, these witnesses were just as likely as those who were sober to play a role in the police investigation.
It is clear that alcohol can impair eyewitness perception and memory. When participants in one study witnessed a live staged crime, those who had earlier con- sumed fruit juice were more accurate in their recollections than were those who had been served an alcoholic beverage. Other research shows that although people can recognize a perpetrator presented to them when they are intoxicated, they often make false identifications when the actual perpetra- tor is absent. Still other research shows that alcohol can reduce other aspects of memory. In one study, participants were approached in bars— some who were drinking, others who were not—and asked to watch and recall a mock crime. Three to five days later, their memory was tested. Compared with wit- nesses who were sober, those who had been intoxicated produced fewer and less accurate memories of the event as a whole.
