Introduction
The presented case describes the legal process of accusing Kevin MacDonald of assaulting several people in rehabilitation centers. One night, a registered nurse saw a man jumping out of the window of a room where one of the patients was lying partially clothed. Due to some disabilities, the victim, Ms. Connor, could not identify the assailant.
However, when a similar case occurred in another rehab, and the suspects were presented, she identified him as the person who broke into the room. As a result, MacDonald was proclaimed guilty by a six-person jury. This paper explores the psychological and legal aspects of a conviction that is appealed.
Analysis
Psychological Perspective
From the psychological point of view, there are several assumptions regarding the victim’s claims and the assailant’s confession. Primarily, since Ms. Connor had some developmental difficulties, she was not able to disclose the details about the suspected assailant. In addition, she might have experienced great shock, which caused memory loss.
The brain may use memory loss as a coping mechanism to avoid recalling and reliving stressful events (Class Notes, 2023). Therefore, Ms. Connor’s identification of the defendant could have been mistaken, for she had not seen his real-life features in the darkness. What is more, the victim could reconstruct memories based on her roommate’s narrative. This concept of false memories leads to confusion as a person tends to add new constructs to the memory while disregarding their perspective of the occurrence (Class Notes, 2023).
To keep the investigation, memory retrieval can be conducted under hypnosis as it allows an individual, specifically with developmental disorders, to relax and recollect some events or feelings. Leading questions can help a victim plunge into unconsciousness and retrieve some facts from the past. This method is considered efficient when a traumatized person cannot reminisce about anything.
In addition, the criminal could have suppressed the extent to which he confessed to the wrongdoing towards Ms. Connor. Since he recanted his confession, there is a debate about whether he was engaged in it or not. The lie detector could determine his real intent and identify if he genuinely tried to hurt Ms. Connor. Sometimes, the defendants make false confessions to appeal to the jury (Class Notes, 2023). Therefore, to avoid them, prior lie detector tests should be conducted to steer clear of extra trials.
Legal Perspective
From a lawful perspective, the court should revise the alibi of the assailant. Kevin MacDonald could have confessed to breaking into Ms. Connor’s room window to plead guilty and receive a shorter sentence. An alibi is vital because the presence of the suspect or the accused at the time of the commission of the crime in another place can serve as proof of his innocence (Allison, 2023). To check it, the authorities will need to interview the victims, witnesses, and his social circle, and start surveillance camera monitoring.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the case seems to have incorporated all the evidence to sentence MacDonald. Nonetheless, some aspects were not considered to prove the assailant truly guilty. For instance, he should have been polygraphed before the trial to ensure his confession was not falsified. Moreover, the investigators must have accounted for the victim’s disabilities and conducted additional memory retrieval procedures.
References
Allision, M. (2023). Alibis. YouTube. Web.
Class Notes. (2023). [PDF document].