Human memory is not static and can be affected by several factors that can hinder the ability to retrieve a memory 100% authentically. Where the fallibility of memory can be inconvenient in several everyday interactions, it can prove harmful in the case of eyewitness testimony. Convictions issued solely on the basis of eyewitness testimony place the defendant's fate in the hands of the witness and at the mercy of his or her memory. There are numerous factors that can contaminate the memory of the witness, who unfortunately has the power to unjustly condemn an ​​innocent person. After a review, one study found that more innocent citizens are wrongfully convicted based on eyewitness testimony than any other factor (Smith, Stinson, & Prosser, 2004). Since DNA evidence was introduced in the early 1990s, more and more cases have been overturned and those convicted on the basis of faulty eyewitness testimony have been released. Memory can be colored by experiences, prejudices and can even be influenced without our knowledge or consent, thus making a belief based on it arbitrary. One of the many dangers of eyewitness testimony is that it centers on memory, a construct that can be influenced by many different factors. A memory can be faulty even before it is fully formed due to the environment in which it developed. While it may seem obvious that stress has negative effects on our bodies, many are unaware of the effects stress has on our memory. Stress “activates specific molecules called corticotropin that releases hormones that disrupt the way the brain is able to collect and store memories” (Chen, Yuncai & Dube 2008). Even if the witness believes he or she remembers the memory… halfway down the paper… to try to vouch for the accuracy of the eyewitness testimony, there is no way to definitively declare the eyewitness testimony infallible. The Innocence Project is a foundation that works to free prisoners who have been improperly incarcerated, many based on eyewitness testimony. Memory can be influenced by so many factors and continues to be reconstructive that it is difficult to be certain in any case. The best way to try to reduce the number of wrongful incarcerations is to use a combination of evidence based on conviction. DNA testing introduced in the 1990s has significantly contributed to reducing the number of false identifications. The danger from false eyewitness testimony leading to an unjust conviction is not simply that an innocent person will be wrongfully locked up, but that the dangerous man or woman who committed the crime will continue to circulate in society.