Frontline: What Jennifer Saw

It's one of our judicial system's greatest fears: sending an innocent person to prison. This Frontline documentary looks at the vagaries of human memory, the ease with which the brain accepts suggestion, and the sometimes tragic results of eyewitness testimony, as they came together in one particular case. Ronald Cotten served eleven years in prison for two rapes he did not commit. One of the rape victims was certain he was her assailant. When DNA exonerated Cotten, the victim, Jennifer Thompson, not only had to re-live the trauma of the original event, she also had to carry the terrible guilt of knowing her testimony had placed Cotten in jail. This true-life mystery, courtroom drama and study in human psychology is sobering and thought-provoking. Hopefully, the Cotten case will encourage police departments to retain physical evidence for longer periods--evidence which, in this instance, eventually freed Cotton, and found the real rapist. Highly recommended for psychology and debate classes in high schools, criminology courses in colleges, and most public libraries. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Reagan)