Eyewitness identification procedures: Recommendations for lineups and photospreads

There is increasing evidence that false eyewitness identification is the pr imary cause of the conviction of innocent people. In 1996, the American Psy chology/Law Society and Division 41 of the American Psychological Associati on appointed a subcommittee to review scientific evidence and make recommen dations regarding the best procedures for constructing and conducting lineu ps and photospreads. Three important themes from the scientific literature relevant to lineup methods were identified and reviewed, namely relative-ju dgment processes, the lineups-as-experiments analogy, and confidence mallea bility. Recommendations are made that double-blind lineup testing should be used, that eyewitnesses should be forewarned that the culprit might not be present, that distracters should be selected based on the eyewitness's ver bal description of the perpetrator; and that confidence should be assessed and recorded at the time of identification. The potential costs and benefit s of these recommendations are discussed.