The Problem of Tunnel Vision in Criminal Justice

The 160-plus post-conviction DNA exonerations of the last 15 years have exposed numerous problems that
have contributed to convicting the innocent. One commonality in almost all of the cases, however, is that they
feature some form of tunnel vision.
Tunnel vision is a natural human tendency with particularly pernicious effects in the criminal justice system.
Tunnel vision is the process that leads investigators, prosecutors, judges, and defense lawyers alike to focus on a particular outcome, and then to filter all evidence in a case through the lens
 provided by that outcome.
Through that filter, all information that supports the adopted outcome is elevated in significance, viewed as
consistent with the other evidence, and deemed relevant and probative, while evidence inconsistent with the
chosen theory is easily overlooked or dismissed as irrelevant, incredible, or unreliable.
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