It is a due process violation to allow the conviction of a defendant on the basis of unreliable evidence. If children are interviewed repeatedly using suggestive and coercive interview techniques, the child's memory of the alleged events may be destroyed by the interview process. When this happens, the child's statements are not reliable. Credibility implies that the speaker knows whether what is said is true or false. A person who is not credible may be lying.
Reliability is comparable to accuracy.
When the person's memory of events is changed or lost, the person may not know what is true or false. When the person then gives unreliable information, the person may not be aware of it. In such cases, the person cannot be said to be lying. A child who has been suggestively interviewed may be unable to distinguish the memory for a real event from the one that has been taught by the interviewer. Therefore, the testimony the child gives is not reliable.