What can be the impact of suggestive questioning on witnesses?

Suggestive questioning can significantly disrupt the reliability of a witness's memory, leading to what is known as memory contamination. When witnesses are presented with leading or suggestive information, their recollections can be inadvertently altered or influenced, causing them to incorporate inaccurate details into their accounts. This phenomenon occurs because memory is not a perfect recording of events; rather, it can be malleable and susceptible to external influences, particularly when under the stress of questioning.

Suggestive questioning often plants ideas that can merge with a witness's original memory, making it challenging for them to distinguish between what they directly experienced and what they were led to believe. This can ultimately compromise the integrity of their testimony, increasing the potential for erroneous identification or recall. Understanding the negative effects of suggestive questioning is crucial in legal contexts, as it emphasizes the importance of using neutral and open-ended questions to gather accurate information from witnesses.