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Experts May Now Analyze Witness Testimony in Criminal Cases

The Connecticut Supreme Court recently upheld the criminal conviction of Brady Guilbert, who was found guilty in the shooting deaths of two New London residents in 2004. In sustaining the conviction, it also ruled on the ability for the defense to call experts to testify on the defendant’s behalf to challenge eyewitness accounts.

At trial, Guilbert’s defense wanted to call Charles A. Morgan III, a professor of psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine and an expert on eyewitness identifications. Dr. Morgan would have testified about how stress can alter a witness’ memory of events, and that the eyewitness account (that Guilbert was the gunman) could be flawed. The trial court judge disallowed Dr. Morgan’s testimony, ruling the jurors could use their “common knowledge” in deciding whether the witness’ accounts were reliable.

While the Supreme Court ultimately ruled that jurors relied on additional information that would have led to Guilbert’s conviction, it also found that defense attorneys should be allowed to call experts to challenge a witness’ recollection.

Tom Ullman, the Chief Public Defender in the New Haven Judicial District, wished he could have challenged the lone eyewitness account that sent his client to prison. He explained to the Housatonic Times that most jurors believe witnesses who make confident declarations about what they saw, even though the witness could be completely wrong. He acknowledged that emotional factors, such as stress, adrenaline and biases could alter a person’s recollection. “If you’re under stress during a crime,” he said, “you focus on other things, not necessarily the ID of the person committing the crime. An expert on witnesses can talk about that and about studies on memory.”

A majority of wrongful convictions are based on mistaken eyewitness accounts. According to the Innocence Project, nearly 75 percent of convictions based on such accounts are overturned through DNA testing. On its website, the organization highlights a number of situations where alleged perpetrators are misidentified, including where:
- Witnesses substantially changed their description of a perpetrator (including key information such as height, weight and presence of facial hair) after they learned more about a particular suspect.
- Witnesses only made an identification after multiple photo arrays or lineups — and then made hesitant identifications (saying they “thought” the person “might be” the perpetrator, for example), but at trial the jury was told the witnesses did not waver in identifying the suspect.

The advent of DNA evidence has helped in challenging (and at least limiting) misidentifications in criminal cases, but the court’s ruling provides defense attorneys with another important tool to protect their clients. If you believe that you have been wrongfully charged with (or convicted of) a crime, an experienced criminal defense attorney can advise you.

Article provided by Kevin Smith, Attorney at Law
Visit us at www.kevinsmithlaw.com

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What you should know about breast augmentation

The breast augmentation is one of the most common cosmetic surgeries around the world. Like any surgical intervention, its performance involves certain risks and requires dedication for optimal postoperative recovery. To ensure a safe procedure, it is essential to trust properly trained professionals. But it is equally important for the patient to prepare physically and mentally to go through the entire Mammaplasty process. In this article, we review what you should know about breast augmentation before doing it.

What is breast augmentation?

Augmentation Mammaplasty consists of a surgery carried out with the purpose of increasing the size of the breasts. To do this, implants are incorporated under the breast tissue or the chest muscles. These implants are covered by a flexible silicone outer covering and may contain a saline solution or a silicone gel.

This procedure must be performed by a plastic surgeon, after previous consultations for orientation and planning with the patient.

MOST USED MATERIALS FOR CHEST IMPLANTS

Among the most used materials for this type of operation are silicone prostheses and serum prostheses that have different characteristics:

Silicone prosthesis: They are the most used. Silicone prosthesis is composed of three layers of polyurethane and its filling can be of two types:

Cohesive gel: it is characterized by a greater bond between the molecules of the gel, which gives it greater density. In the unlikely event of a prosthesis rupture, the gel, being more consistent, does not migrate to other parts of the body.

Soft gel: The shape of this type of prosthesis changes depending on the movements and pressure that are made on the breast. In the event that the prosthesis breaks, the gel will come out of the capsule, spreading through the breast tissue. So it is not entirely recommended.

Serum prosthesis: The content of this type of prosthesis is compatible with the body, so in case of breakage of the material or leakage of the capsule, it could be reabsorbed by the body itself. Despite this, we also find some disadvantages such as the loss of volume of the breast over time or the undulation of the upper part of it.

What is augmentation Mammaplasty for?

This surgery is usually related to aesthetic purposes and it is important not to stigmatize its purposes and benefits. Most of the women who opt for Mammaplasty do so because they feel unhappy with their appearance. Some for having naturally small breast, others to correct differences in size or to reverse a reduction after pregnancy.

However, Mammaplasty can also be part of a breast reconstruction process, which is necessary after going through certain diseases (breast cancer, for example). In any case, breast augmentation allows many women to strengthen their self-esteem and confidence. And this translates into a positive impact not only on a physical level, but fundamentally on an emotional and social level.

What are the risks of breast augmentation surgery?

All surgery involves a degree of risk and, therefore, it is essential to have the support of trained professionals. But augmentation Mammaplasty can also lead to certain complications after surgery, such as:

Sensitivity changes in the breasts, especially in the nipples.
Pain in the breasts, mainly during the postoperative period.
Infections (postoperative care is essential to prevent them).
Development of systemic symptoms described in the so-called breast implant disease.
Distortion of the shape of the implant mainly associated with a contraction produced by the healing of the tissue.
Loss or patella of the implant.

We know that breast augmentation surgery has its risks and complications, however, they are temporary and scarce, and so we should not fear undergoing the operation. Being an optional surgical treatment, we have the last word in our hand.

If you want an assessment of our plastic surgeon, Dr. Lane Smith, make an appointment! The first assessment consultation is free.

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How to Create a Link in Bio

The requirement for powerful marketing tools is on the rise due to the rising competition. The advent of social media has allowed each one of us to showcase our talent or promote our business most effectively.

The primary thing that informs your audience about you is the bio. Every social media has a separate space for Bio and you can add information about yourself. But this bio doesn’t allow you to showcase your portfolio in detail. Also, it doesn’t allow too many links.

Therefore, in this article, we shall discuss the methods to create a link in bio for your social media profiles easily and effectively.

You can create a link in bio using two different methods. Either you can use discrete tools for it or you can use the features present in the social media app itself.

Using a Discrete Tool

Creating a link in bio is almost the same on every social media platform. But the features they provide can be different. For example, Facebook and Twitter allow you to add links in individual posts and you can drive traffic to your product or website easily. But in the case of Instagram, you cannot add links to your posts, and you cannot add more than one clickable link in your bio.

Therefore, you have to depend on some tools to create a customizable link in the bio of your social media platform. Among several Linktree alternatives, Linkr is a potential tool with several benefits. Let us discuss this tool in detail and find out its benefits.

Linkr

This is an excellent tool with a simple setup and easy-to-use interface that helps you to create a link in your bio within a few steps. With more than 15 million users, Linkr creates simple links with powerful features.

You can create an awesome landing page or product page for the link and share this with your social media in a single tap. Linkr also helps you with customizations in the link and within the webpage or content page.

It provides you with 100+ templates that can be used for creating single-page websites with just three steps. You can create a link in the bio that connects with this webpage.

This tool is highly useful for Creators, influencers, designers, bloggers, etc. who would like to showcase their portfolios in the best manner with their social media profiles.

Apart from the link in bio feature, you can also create a web store, design QR codes, shorten URLs, and create a membership for exclusive premium customers.

Using the Social Media Features

Every social media will have a separate space that can help you to list out information about yourself. This space is called the Bio and, in some platforms, it can also be mentioned as About.

You can enter a short description about yourself and give one external link that will take your followers to the portfolio or product site.

The main disadvantage of this method is that you cannot give a detailed or slightly brief description of yourself. There are character restrictions, and you have to type only a few characters.

Also, concerning external links, you can only give one or two, depending on the platform. So, in this method, you cannot tell your followers about who you are and what you do in detail.

Therefore, you can use tools like Linkr and get the best link in the bio for your social media profiles.

Conclusion

Social media marketing can be made easy with such tools, and you must know how to make use of them to succeed in the market. Hope this guideline will help you to present yourself to the followers with more information.

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