NCJ Number
175177
Journal
Law and Human Behavior Volume: 22 Issue: 6 Dated: December 1998 Pages: 603-647
Date Published
1998
Length
45 pages
Annotation
A subcommittee appointed in 1996 by the Executive Committee of the American Psychology/Law Society and Division 41 of the American Psychological Association reviewed scientific evidence and made recommendations regarding the best procedures for constructing and conducting lineups and photospreads.
Abstract
The subcommittee's appointment was prompted by increasing evidence that false eyewitness identification is the primary cause of the conviction of innocent people. The subcommittee's review of the scientific literature relevant to lineup methods identified three important themes: relative-judgment processes, the lineups-as-experiments analogy, and confidence malleability. The subcommittee recommended the use of double-blind lineup testing. It also recommended that eyewitnesses be forewarned that the culprit might not be present, that distractors be selected based on the eyewitness's verbal description of the perpetrator, and that confidence should be assessed and recorded at the time of the identification. These four recommendations are largely without financial cost to the justice system. Perhaps the only recommendation that might bring costs is the necessity of having the lineup administered by someone who does not know which person is the suspect. The most obvious benefit would be the protection accorded innocent suspects. In addition, procedural adherence to these recommendations can reduce the need for expert testimony by eyewitness scientists. Adopting these four rules into lineup practices can remove much of the contribution that the justice system itself contributes to the problem of mistaken identification. Table and 151 references (Author abstract modified)