Police Lineups or something called eyewitness identification has been a problem not only where I live, but across the entire country. It is very easy for a witness to mistakenly identify someone as a suspect. According to the Innocence Project in New York, “False eyewitness identifications are the leading factor in wrongful convictions.” it has also contributed to almost 75% of convictions that have been overturned. Our Justice System will never be perfect. and Police Lineups are just one of the many issues we face in this system.
When we look at a criminal case, our eyewitness testimony is very important and can make a huge impact on the decision of the case. If we do not obtain DNA evidence, the next best thing would be a eyewitness testimony, or a positive identification of the suspect. However, a lot of times it is very common for our witness to make a false identification. The Innocence Project has overturned 318 cases since they started with the help of DNA evidence. If you think about it, the mistakes of the witnesses made nearly 3/4 of mistakes.
There can be only one solution to the problem of false eyewitness testimonies. That would be, to try and increase the accuracy in these police lineups. If we have credible witnesses this can all be avoided if you think about it. If we just line up a bunch of suspects in front of a window and try to have the witness determine who the suspect is based off that, we will continue having these problems. There are many people in this world who look alike and this can also be another problem. Another issue may be that the witness or victim may be too distraught and unstable to even make a positive identification as well. There are many factors that come into play on a topic like this.
In conclusion, Police Lineups are not always the most solid option. One option that is always solid is going to be DNA evidence and I personally think that is the main option that investigators should be using. Now if DNA evidence is not present than yes a lineup would be the next option, but a credible witness is very valuable in a court and this process.
Nelson. (2017). Lesson 08: The Legal System/Criminal Justice. Retrieved February 27, 2019, from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1834710/modules/items/21736684
Hello,
I also took a look at police line-ups and the issues behind them. What you’ve explained makes perfect sense… the best way to identify a criminal would be through some type of DNA evidence which should be extremely accurate unless there is some type of special circumstance or trickery going on. The next best option seems to be police line-ups. To me it seems like the jump is quite big! We go from something that can be proved scientically to something that can go wrong extremely easily. You mention that there can really only be one solution to the issues that come along with police line-ups … what type of solutions would you suggest? Do you think we should cut it out altogether because of the chances it has of failing?
The use of police lineups is such a questionable practice. Thank you very much for bringing up such an important topic. The amount of cases you’ve mentioned that were overturned due to false eyewitness identification is staggering. There are several factors that come into play when considering the validity of lineup identifications.
According to the PSU WC Commentary (2019) the misinformation effect can take place when things are worded in a way that can modify a person’s memory by presenting information that can be leading. When speaking to a witness, it is vital that officers or lawyers refrain from using emotionally charged words that can lead a witness to recall false information and misidentify a suspect. An example found in the lesson commentary includes asking a witness during a line up to identify which one of the people in the lineup is the attacker or perpetrator? Such a question can implicate that the perpetrator is definitely in the lineup and that the witness must choose one of them.
Schneider, Gruman & Coutts (2012) explained that witnesses make fewer errors when they are not under stress, if no weapon was involved in the crime, if the identification time is closest to when the crime was committed and when faces were able to be seen instead of using just identifiable features. The American Psychological Association (2014) explained the results of a study done by psychologists Roy Malpass and Patricia Devine which showed that accurate identification depended on the instructions given to the witness. Telling a witness that they don’t have to choose a suspect can greatly reduce false identifications by reducing the stress of feeling obligated to choose from the individuals presented.
Unfortunately, police lineups are still used today. It’s imperative that society members remain aware of the shortcomings of such methods and advocate to find better solutions to improve the outcome of witness identification. The National Academy of Sciences (2014) has provided several recommendations to reduce cases of false identification. They offer an extensive list of recommendations which can be helpful when developing training interventions for police departments.
Three of their recommendations include, ensuring that law enforcement officials are trained on witness identification which includes understanding variables associated with identification. The second is to ensure double-blind lineup and photo array. This includes making sure that neither officer nor witness have any information that may suggest the perpetrator must be in the lineup or among an array of photos. This can eliminate preconceived biases, expectations and any non-verbal communication that would implicate an innocent person for identification. A third recommendation that can eliminate the misuse of emotionally charged language when interacting with a witness is to employ standardized witness instructions. In doing so, police departments will be able to reduce the use of suggestive language that can cause a witness to misidentify an individual.
It’s a very tricky topic to cover. Most circumstances that will trigger the use of a police lineup are stressful in and of themselves. It’s certainly important to make sure that lineups are being implemented in the most effective way possible to reduce the incidence of misidentification.
References:
“Eyewitness Accuracy in Police Lineups.” American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, 2014, http://www.apa.org/action/resources/research-in-action/eyewitness.
National Research Council. 2014. Identifying the Culprit: Assessing Eyewitness Identification. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/18891.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2019). PSYCH 424 Lesson 8: The Legal System/Criminal Justice Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1973019/modules/items/25635712
Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Los Angeles: Sage.