system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why are eyewitness testimonies used and taken so seriously in court if people’s memories have been proven to be bad?
gpt
I strongly encourage you to read transcripts of a court case to get a real feel for what an eye witness testimony looks like. 

It's more than just asking a person that they saw Jim shoot Bob. Most often they will use multiple people to build context on the crime. 

When people testify, the lawyers are often referring to pieces of evidence to jog their memory and they use the witness' testimony to validate the physical evidence. If a video is available the lawyers will play certain clips over and over while asking the witness about details that you can't see. They will also use it to poke holes in their testimony. 

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To answer your question

> **eyewitness testimonies used** 

Because a bloody knife is much more compelling if someone saw Jim holding it. 

>**and taken so seriously in court if people’s memories have been proven to be bad?** 

The reliability of eye witness testimony is only taken as serious as the person giving it. If Sweet old Betty who has nothing to do with the crime said she saw someone that looks like Jim jump the fence to Bob's yard that's a pretty compelling piece of evidence. 

Most importantly of all, you never ask a witness a question you do not know the answer to.