Capital Litigation Initiative: Crime Scene to Courtroom Forensics Training

Webinar 16: Eyewitness Evidence: Science, Law and Lessons

In Eyewitness Evidence: Science,Law and Lessons, Professor of Law and Director of Advocacy Programs at Temple University Beasley School of Law, Professor Jules Epstein will cover eyewitness identification evidence as it relates to science and the law. The webinar will focus on scientific research findings that demonstrate how psychological, human and cultural factors impact eyewitness evidence. Attendees will gain insight into how memory, perception and bias can affect legal proceedings, including cross-examination, suppression and reliability. The webinar will cover scene investigation and the many variables that can influence eyewitness identifications. Relevant federal and state case law will be presented as well as legal considerations attorneys should be aware of when encountering eyewitness evidence in the courtroom.

Jules Epstein is a Professor of Law and Director of Advocacy Programs at Temple University Beasley School of Law. He is a former partner at the highly respected Philadelphia criminal defense and civil rights firm of Kairys, Rudovsky, Messing & Feinberg, LLP, where he remains of counsel. Professor Epstein teaches criminal law and evidence courses.

A 1978 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, Professor Epstein began his legal career with the Defender Association of Philadelphia. He was an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania from 1988 through 2006, has taught in and prepared materials for countless continuing legal education programs, and has authored dozens of articles and book chapters on criminal law and evidence topics. He served as a Professor of Law and the Director of the Taishoff Advocacy, Technology, and Public Service Institute at Widener School of Law before joining the faculty at Temple.

Professor Epstein’s work has concentrated, in recent years, on capital case, eyewitness, and forensics issues. He has taught death penalty law nationally to judges and attorneys, and continues to handle capital cases at the appellate and post conviction stages. In the area of eyewitness evidence, he has lectured, authored both articles and book chapters, and served as an expert witness.

Nationally, Professor Epstein served as a member of the National Commission on Forensic Science from 2013 until the Commission’s demise in 2017. He was co-editor of SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE REVIEW: ADMISSIBILITY AND THE USE OF EXPERT EVIDENCE IN THE COURTROOM, MONOGRAPH NO. 9, (ABA Books, 2013) and THE FUTURE OF EVIDENCE (ABA Books, 2011). He is faculty for the National Judicial College, teaching courses to judges in advanced evidence and capital case law. In Pennsylvania, he is a member of a group of lawyers, judges and academics revising the Suggested Standard Jury Instruction, Criminal, and served on a commission addressing issues in cases of wrongful convictions.

• Outline
• Learning Objectives
• Eyewitness Evidence: Science, Law and Lessons, Professor Jules Epstein
• Further Reading List

View the webinar recording.

This webinar is designed for both prosecutors and defense attorneys. Attendees who complete this webinar will be eligible for Continuing Legal Education credits. The Stetson Office of Professional Education will work with each individual participant for reporting specifics. CLE applications will be made to Florida and other states per individual requests. Please email ope@law.stetson.edu for further information and state specific requests.

This project was supported by Grant No. 2015-CP-BX-K006 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.