Few institutions are subjected to as much public scrutiny as the justice system, and (0) WITH good reason — the consequences of judicial error can be devastating. High-profile cases of wrongful conviction have exposed the extent to 1 the system can fail those it is designed to protect. 2 it not for the advent of DNA testing in the 1990s, many of the individuals subsequently proved innocent would still be in prison. So profound 3 the impact of these revelations been that a fundamental rethinking of courtroom procedures is now under way. Central to this reform is the growing recognition that eyewitness testimony is far less dependable than 4 once believed. Not only do witnesses frequently misidentify suspects, 5 their recollections can also be unwittingly distorted by the manner in which they are questioned. Much 6 the legal profession may resist admitting it, the evidence is now overwhelming. It is for this very reason that an increasing number of jurisdictions have begun to adopt safeguards — reforms 7 the absence of which future miscarriages of justice would be inevitable. Whether these measures will prove to 8 sufficient is a question the legal establishment cannot afford to leave unanswered.