Hypnosis with defendants: does it really work?

ABSTRACT

There is controversy in the courts about the admissibility of statements by victims, eyewitnesses, and defendants following hypnosis. The scientific community has strongly influenced many court decisions about credibility, reliability, and admissibility of memory retrieval where hypnosis is used. The author presents two case histories of defendants whose memories were refreshed by hypnosis. He presents current court rulings on the use of hypnosis and discusses their impact on laboratory data involving memory and reliability.