On February 4, 2005 in Cambridge Massachusetts, Priest Paul Shanley was found guilty of molesting an altar boy. Although his offences took place in the 1980’s, he was convicted of two counts of child rape, carrying a life sentence. He was also charged with two counts of indecent assault and battery, nearly twenty five years after his crime was committed. Paul Shanley was the pastor of St. Jean’s Parish in Newton Massachusetts, when the incidents took place. Shanely had originally been accused of sexually abusing four young boys, however three out of the four accusers dropped out of the case, leaving Paul Busa’s case the only one to go to trial. However, the case became increasingly weaker due to the fact that Busa states that he had recovered his memories of the abuse only recently. The common argument from all four men was that “all four of those accusers claimed to have repressed their memories of being repeatedly raped, only to have the memories flood back years later when viewing they read news reports of the clergy sex scandal.” (Jonathan Rauch, Chicago Reader).
Elizabeth Loftus, a psychology professor at the University Of Washington, has done extensive research on eyewitness testimony and human memory. Loftus is also an adjunct professor of law and has testified on many trials as a witness or consultant. Her theories about the human memory are well known and commonly accepted. Her studies show that “misinformation can change an individual’s recollection in the predictable and sometimes very powerful ways.” (Loftus 1997). Her studies of false childhood memories show this as a possibility. Loftus presents a group of people ranging from the ages of 22 to 53 with paragraphs about childhood traumas. Three of the four scenarios presented were true, confirmed by parents or siblings who witnessed the event. The fourth was the scenario of being lost in a mall at the age of five. All four scenarios are believed to be confirmed by a relative. When presented...