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Eyewitness Identication: A Scary Game of Chance

Who's down for a game of Russian Roulette?  I'll bring the .357, you bring the bullets.  Let's play? No?  You think I'm crazy?  Then why do you do this to other people?  In the typical police line-up, police put a suspect's photograph on a sheet with five other people with similar characteristics.  It's called a "six pack," since there are six photos on the page.  The police then tell an eyewitness to "Pick one." Assuming the police did not nudge the eye witness ("Look very closely at Suspect No. 2"), by chance alone, the suspect will be chosen.  Having a witness choose from a six pack is no different from a game of Russian Roulette - except that it's the some other guy who will suffer...continue to full post

Full post as published by Crime & Federalism on July 07, 2008 (boomark / email).