Lineup Construction and Evaluation
Read the eyewitness guide for information on how to put together a lineup. Read the Guide. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/178240.pdf
Go here: http://www.dc.state.fl.us/AppCommon/
Choose a guy (search on some characteristics, or a name).
Then find fillers to match
Copy and paste into a word document
Print.
Show to friends, collect data according to instructions provided in the below link.
Read: http://eyewitness.utep.edu/consult05B.html
Calculate lineup bias: http://eyewitness.utep.edu/documents/bias-calc.xls
Bring your lineup and data analysis results to class on thursday.
For this blog post remark on your reading of the Guide.
The concept of lineups began to amaze me as I read the eyewitness guide.
The first part that got my attention was how the dispatcher was to ask the questions. In order to obtain to the most import information, the dispatcher needed to ask open ended questions to the caller, leaving them to give the details. Being too specific could distract the caller, or even stress them out more as they tried to remember specific details. The open ended questions are useful because they allow the 911 caller to give the information that they have from memory, which is primarily what the dispatcher's goal is.
The most interesting thing that I found about the eyewitness guide was the mug books. I did not even know they existed before I ready the guide. The books have to be very detail specific in order to be effective during the investigation. The books have to be arranged in a certain order, for example grouping photos by crimes, instead of races, or by the type of photo.
Instructing the witness is another very important part of the process. The witness may often second guess themselves, or be nervous about picking the right person. The pictures must have specific details. For example, the photos can not resemble one another too closely as to add to the confusion of selecting a perpetrator.
Creating a lineup could prove to be a very taxing process. It is important to find people who resemble the suspect, but do not look so much alike as to confuse the witness. Lineups are conducted very similarly to photo lineups.
When composing a line up the other people besides the suspect are called fillers. These people must resemble the suspect, but not look too much like the suspect. They must have about the same build and height. It is also important to create a consistency among the lineup. Things like scars and tattoos are not considered when creating a line up.
The witness are the main focus when it comes to a lineup. Without them, the investigators wouldn't even be creating the lineup. Preparing the witness for a live lineup is vital in obtaining the correct choice of the suspect.
One thing I found particular interesting is some of the things that the investigators tell the witness prior to them looking at the lineup. The investigators have several things to tell them, one of them being that the none of the people in the lineup may be the suspect. This was confusing to me because I feel the witness is already anxious enough about choosing a person in the lineup.
Another intriguing aspect of preparing the witness was advising them to not pay attention to hair or facial hair because they are subject to change. This is something that could easily be forgotten when choosing a suspect and could thwart the accuracy of the witness.
The Eyewitness Guide proves to be very advantageous and critical to the correct identification of a witness. Both the investigator and the witness play crucial roles in the process of photo and live lineups. With this book and the guidance of the investigator, the witness should be be able to precisely identify the suspect at hand.
I found this eyewitness guide to be very interesting and I learned an increasing amount more than I knew before. This guide was very helpful since it was split into different sections. I think the people and everyone involved did a nice job with it. I realize that this is just a guide and that not every time a situation occurs this is exactly how it's going to happen, but this was a good start for people like me who don't have a clue whats going on and to understand this more.
This guide first begins with the call to 911. Also known as, the initial report of the crime/ first responder (preliminary investigator). This is when the dispatcher answers the 911 call and the whole procedure begins. I believe the most important part of this section is to assure the person on the other end of the line that the police are on their way. That way they can calm down and start to tell you what happen and answer any questions the dispatcher has for them. One important thing to remember is the dispatcher needs to make sure to ask open ended questions. The dispatcher definitely needs to avoid suggestive questions or any sort of leading questions. That is also when the dispatcher relays any important information to the responding officers.
The responding officers are investigating the scene at this point. They are identifying the perpetrators, and verifying any witness'. That is also when they start obtaining the witness' if there are any. Again, they are using open ended questions and clarifying any information that they have given before you start documenting the information.
Section two begins with mug books and composites. Preparing mug books is just finding people with similar characteristics so that nobody stands out. When you use the mug books, make sure to show them to each witness, individually. Instruct to the witness what is going on and how the composite will be used. Make sure to tell the witness that whether or not they make an identification, the police will continue the investigation. Keep in mind to document everything that happens because this might become useful later.
Section three begins with interviewing the witness. Preinterviews and decisions are being made at this time. This is where all the documentations are coming in handy. Reviewing all the documents is being done to help make decisions on how to interview the witness. Before the interview is done, initial contact with the witness is done first. Just to meet them and make them feel comfortable that an interview will likely come about in the future. Conducting the interview is the next step. But the very first step is to let the witness volunteer any information they want without any questions from you. Make sure they are being very detail oriented. Using open ended questions and not interrupting the witness is very critical in this section. Encourage nonverbal communication if possible. Also, encourage the witness not to guess, use information that they remember exactly. Processing the witness' recollections and documents is an important step in finalizing everything before proceeding to court, if necessary.
The next section involves field identification procedures. Determine and document a description of the perpetrator. Caution the witness that they may or may not be looking at the perpetrator. Document the identifications and the non-identifications. Record show-up results.
The final section of the guide involves procedures for eyewitness identification of suspects. While composing a lineup, include one suspect in each identification procedure. Select at lease 5 fillers and make sure they resemble the characteristics of the perpetrator. Avoid using refillers to the same witness in a different lineup. After looking at the possible suspects conducting the identification procedure is necessary. Make sure the witness understands the nature of the lineup procedure. Record the identification results. Record both the identifications results and non identification results. Always make sure the witness signs and dates the results.
I loved how this was very laid out in step by step order. That made it very easy to read and understand. I thought the most interesting part was that police would conduct many lineups with the perpetrator in none of the lineups. The more I think about it, the better that would be because then they would know if the witness was reliable or not. I enjoyed reading this guide and how it relates to law and psychology.
Terms: Lineup, peretrator, identification, reliable, eyewitness, evidence, investigator
I thought that this eyewitness guide was a lot like the other guide we read about how to handle a crime scene and what to do when you first get there. It was very simple and step by step in it’s instructions and very user friendly in that it took things in sections that were clearly labeled and easy to find. I think that it gives a lot of good insight to psychological problems dealing with the victim and the witnesses that you wouldn’t otherwise think of when your in the moment right after a crime has occurred.
I think it was really interesting when it was talking about how you should make sure to establish some rapport with the victim so you can get the information that you need from them. I think that when people (or me) thinks about how cops interact with victims and other witnesses in the crime it’s mostly in an unpleasant mannor. I mean I know that cops don’t mean to be unpleasant but I also know that a lot of them have seen the same crimes over and over again and can sometimes become desensitized to their effects on people. I think it’s a really good little statement to have in there that they need to make sure to remember that the victims are people that have most likely just gone through a traumatic event and it should be dealt with accordingly.
I liked the part about how you have to make sure to only present one person in a line up at a time. The perpetrator may be in this line up and going through this process wrong could lead to a suspect ending up in jail even though they may be innocent so it’s important to relieve any sort of pressure the witness feels as much as possible. I thought that it was most interesting how much of a difference presenting one photo at a time could be. I would have never thought of this strategy but I’m really glad someone did. Based on my current data on our own line-up assignment it’s really evident that people often compare others when they are put in a line up. If you are given a picture and asked if it was them then you may be less likely to compare because you have no one to compare to. I also never realized that only one of the people was the suspect in the crime and the rest were just fillers in a line up. I thought that all the suspects were brought in. Although this seems like a better way to deal with things just because then if the witness does pick a filler then you can start to question the reliability of the witnesses testimony and how much they actually saw.
One of the most important things that I found mentioned in the guide (and frankly I don’t think was emphasized enough) that there should be no leading questions. These questions can be such an easy mistake to make but can effect the memory of a witness greatly as many studies have shown. Leading questions are one of the most dangerous weapons cops can use that they have no idea when they are doing it. Although obviously I don’t have the whole story I do believe that it would be helpful for cops to go through a sort of course on things that are mentioned in this guide cause many are things that one wouldn’t normally think of.
Ever since we talked about showups in class they have made me kind of irritated to think that something as important as someone going to jail for a long time can be determined simply by a very pressured environment and possibly just because they may be wearing the wrong shirt that day. The guide does an excellent job of reminding the police in charge what they can do to lower their risk of contaminating the evidence (aka the person’s memory).
Terms: eyewitness, crime scene, victim, perpetrator, suspect, line-up, filler, leading questions, showups, evidence
The eyewitness guide is a useful tool for people on both sides of an investigation. Although law is not a science - it is just a matter of regulating what ought to be in hopes of justice - this guide is outlined in a way similar to the scientific method. It gives investigators standardized ways of conduct to minimize errors, bias, or contamination so that the eyewitness memory can be used to its full potential. The reason rules like this come in handy is because human beings are the ones handling it & we can accidentally or purposely influence one another. This document helps prevent those mistakes from happening.
A lot of the procedural steps seemed like common sense but also might not be something everyone would think of. A few that I hadn't thought about were cautioning the witness not to guess, avoid interrupting the witness, encouraging them to avoid the media, and reminding them that it is just as important to clear innocent people from suspicion as it is to identify guilty parties.I feel like the eyewitness evidence should be collected as soon as possible & the longer it takes to collect from the time of the crime, the less reliable it is. As it says in many of the passages, some physical features might not look the same because they are so easy to change like hair length and color, not to mention if the perpetrator was masked or disguised in any other way. However, the way that they ask the questions is probably the most important aspect. Questions must be asked in a very specific way: open-ended and specific but not leading. If questions aren't asked in this manner, what information the witness provides may be influenced or what they even remember can be influenced depending on when the questions are asked. This is part of the area of forensic psychology that helps provide information in a particular way that can still be understood and useful.
I noticed that it said not to report any information regarding the person selected before they also record the level of confidence the witness reports in that decision. While this is better than sharing information before, I still don't think any information should be revealed based on their choice because there is still a large chance that they might be incorrect. Once they get feedback on their choice, it wouldn't be surprising if that increased their confidence level. Their perception & cognition of that suspect will then be changed from the original thoughts before labeling that suspect as the actual criminal.
terms: contamination, bias, eyewitness memory, social psychology, confidence, perception, cognition, forensic psychology
After looking over The Eyewitness Guide for Lineups, I found it to be strongly organized and well put together which made it easy to read and comprehend. The different sections of this guide along with policies described within those sections grasped my attention more because I was not just reading a bunch of paragraphs about some things that I might not have understood, but still was able to find many things I did not exactly agree with.
I found it highly intelligent that anyone interviewing witnesses, whether it be the dispatcher in the 911 call or investigators on the scene, must make sure that they ask open-ended questions to make the witness think about what happened instead of assuming what happened through close-ended questions. I also agreed that it is smart to separate multiple witnesses so information is not contaminated as well as separating them from media to avoid the same thing.
One interesting aspect I read about in this guide was that of keeping any witness comfortable and in a non-distractive area for interviewing. I think that psychology could tie into this area if witnesses were interviewed by a psychologist rather than a police officer or investigator to reduce tension and anxiety. It would reduce these because the witness would be kept in a private area with someone who is not dressed and seen as intimidating (like an officer) and a someone who is a professional at helping to retrieve memories while keeping people calm.
When it came to the Mug-books section, I found this thought-provoking since it is an easy way to carry around photos of suspects, perpetrators, and crime scene evidence. Mug-books seem like they are a huge help to forensic science but the only thing I did not agree upon was when asking witnesses about these photos, it is suggested that they be informed the perpetrator may not be among them. I find this to be highly confusing to anyone looking at a lineup because once told that, they may assume that anything they are being asked may be tricky and can become trustless of the situation. Otherwise, using suspects that closely resemble the perpetrator yet not too close to avoid confusion during the lineup is probably highly difficult to achieve and I respect all the work put into conducting this.
When it comes to conducting lineups, photo lineups and live lineups are very much alike. One thing I did not agree with was showing each individual at one time. I understand if this is done at first, then the witness is able to look at all of them after, but if not that can cause a loss of memory of the first few viewed suspects. Also, waiting to interview someone until they are emotionally ready, at least in my opinion, should not matter due to possible memory loss of not being interviewed right away. Any witness should be respected, but I believe that asking right away (by jotting down the witness’s emotional state) is necessary and if the investigator is not satisfied due to their emotions, they could re-interview them again later.
Overall, I found this guide to be highly useful to anyone conducting eyewitness testimonies but discovered that the organization of the guide almost blinds people to believe that everything mentioned within it is correct. I did not agree with a lot of the procedures of witnesses and think that psychologists should play a larger role in eyewitness testimony along with interviewing the witnesses. Officers can be intimidating and are not professionals in caring and be passionate to make the witness comfortable in order to gain strong answers and evidence. To me, this guide still needs some reform.
Terms: eyewitness testimony, contamination of evidence, forensic science, lineups
After reading the eyewitness evidence guide I found myself questioning the enforcement of the guidelines represented in the handbook. I understand the importance and value of an eyewitness and find myself gaining knowledge from the text book and other resources used in class, however, from previous experiences I am unaware of the certainty this guidebook places. Many statements stood out to me when reading the guidebook. The first statement that stood out was the fact that there are different laws enforced based on state and local policies. From my perspective laws should be integrated with one purpose. The guide then goes on to break down how to deal with each individual emergency based on the emergency call, crime scene, witness, and lineup.
The emergency call has very distinguished guidelines. I personally think this would be a very challenging area as a law enforcer. Each phone call has a different level of importance, and trying to get so much information over the phone at such an intense time would be challenging. The phone call also seems very broad, and open ended. As a witness this time is the peak of the entire experience and they are looking to be guided and immediate help. The procedure after proceeding with the scene is step by step. The pressure of a law enforcer to follow all procedures in a timely manner is very high. While trying to analyze all areas of the crime they are still mainly trying to verify the perpetrator. Each aspect of the guide is in-depth and if an area is missed or done differently, that person is at fault. The witness guidelines are the largest area that interested me. How the witness is spoken to can make a large impact on the outcome. Always keeping all statements open ended and not using leading statements would be a challenge. This makes me very curious how often these guidelines get followed in a case by case presence. In many cases that we have studied the witness show a need for competence. They want to know how they did, and if they are following all steps to find the perpetrator. The law enforcement is trying to build a relationship with the witness as well. For example, in the book Picking Cotton I feel like the guidelines are not being followed. The witness identification process is also very detailed. Choosing a perpetrator would is a very pressured procedure and the victim has a natural need to find her perpetrator. The conduction of the mug book and lineups are very intricate and important. Looking at this from a psychological standpoint many things can go very wrong when identifying. The witnesses needs play a large roll and the amount of certainty rises over time and familiarity plays a large role as well.
The entire law enforcement guide contains rules and regulations for foundational reasons. Further research proves that eyewitness is not the most effective evidence, however, it plays a large role in court. This guidebook gave me further interest into how a witness is treated and how effective these strategies are. The assignment with this chapter will be a great opportunity to learn more about the witness aspects.
Key Terms: perpetrator, witness, suspect, mug book, live lineup, law enforcement, crime, crime scene, evidence
Lineups are a crucial element of the criminal justice system. When it comes to the eyewitness needing to pinpoint a perpetrator based on their memory, it is vital that he or she is completely uninfluenced so that they can correctly identify the suspect. The Eyewitness Guide gives complete steps and information from the dispatch call to the identification procedure. It is essential that these steps are followed with precision, for we are human and can easily make errors. This guide assists investigators in reducing the amount of said errors and biases in order to ensure that they are getting the best identification possible.
Although people might like to think that they know a lot about lineups from watching crime shows on television, many people might be surprised by what they learn from the guide. I found most of the guide interesting, but a few things stood out to me. I thought that it was a great idea that when getting statements from the witnesses that the dispatcher/investigator used open-ended questions. This way, it makes the witness recall information, rather than take a yes or no guess if they cannot remember. Because each person perceives situations differently, I think that keeping witnesses separated during the first interview is a good idea. This way, they can get multiple different statements. However, I think that they should be able to come together under certain circumstances if necessary, because their ideas could feed off of each other and they could piece together new information that they may have forgotten. The Mug Books, which are a compilation of previously arrested people, confused me a little bit. They seem to be very useful in the investigation process, but when they are shown to the witness, they are informed that the perpetrator may not be included within the pictures. It would be considered a bias if the perpetrator’s picture was not included and the witness identified familiarity with one of the pictures shown.
Most would agree that it is imperative to interview witnesses and have them identify suspects in a line up in a very timely manner. If investigators wait too long to retrieve information, it is very likely that witnesses will forget or mix up what they witnessed. Moreover, I believe that live lineups, when done correctly, would be more effective than photo lineups. Pictures can be deceiving; there is no doubt about that. When you see a crime committed by someone in person, you are going to notice other characteristics, such as height and body build. Those aspects are harder to change by the suspect, unlike hair color and style. When the witness sees the suspect in a lineup, I feel like it would be easier to identify.
I couldn’t help but to notice that different locations abide by different laws and regulations when it comes to lineups. Personally, I believe that all states should abide by the same set of regulations so that everything is equal. Far too many people become incarcerated by a faulty identification. If all states buckled down and followed the same rules, more innocent people may be left out of jail. However, even though eyewitness ID isn’t always the most dependable article of evidence in the investigation, it is remarkable how much it helps move the process forward when done correctly according to these guidelines.
Terms: Lineups, witness, Eyewitness Guide, recall, perception, identification, Mug Books, suspect, perpetrator, investigation, live lineup, incarcerated.
The eyewitness guide was very similar to the guide for forensic investigations. This one was very user-friendly and clear to see. The guide gave specific instructions regarding what to do in each situation. It mentioned how to make a mug book and then how that should be presented to the witnesses in a way that would minimally influence the witness’s identification of the suspect. It was interesting to read how many things you need to think of when going through these procedures. Pop culture makes lineups appear quick and easy. They walk a bunch of guys into a room on the other side of the glass and the victim points at the person that did it. This guide is an excellent resource because with so much going on it becomes really simple for items to get lost in the shuffle. The guide began at the beginning with the 9-1-1 call and ended with recording the identification results. It was very thorough.
Mug books were interesting to learn about because I had never heard of them before. However, the part that related the most to this blog was the large section on lineups. In creating a lineup the difficult part is generating the fillers. The fillers need to be similar enough to the suspect that the suspect doesn’t stand out. However, you don’t want the filler to resemble the suspect too much because it can make it difficult for the witness to distinguish which one is a filler and which is the suspect. The guide mentioned that a photo lineup should consist of at least five fillers per identification and a live lineup should consist of at least four fillers per identification. It is imperative that there be only one suspect in each identification procedure. The guide mentioned that you instruct the witness that it is important to determine who is innocent as well as identify who could be guilty. Traditionally a lineup is only thought of as determining “who did it” instead of determining the innocent.
When I was developing my lineup for the assignment I used the eyewitness guide to develop my list of suspects. It was important that I selected individuals with same gender, race, build, and height. However, the difficult part was not paying attention to tattoos and other body modifications. The guide specifically mentions that no attention should be paid to those options. You also should not pay attention to hair because it is a feature that can change through cutting or dying.
The item that was stressed the most by the guide that I considered the most important was that no leading questions should every be asked and that no information regarding the investigator’s thoughts should be shared. This minimizes the amount that the witness can be swayed. This was something we also discussed in class. Leading questions and statements are easy ways to contaminate the memory evidence the witness has and may lead them to guessing rather than stating what they remember. As we discussed last chapter, memory can be contaminated due to bias and leading questions may do that.
Terms Used: Eyewitness, Forensic Investigations, Mug Book, Witness, Suspect, Lineups, Filler, Photo Lineup, Live Lineup, Leading Questions, Memory, Evidence, Bias
The Eyewitness Guide was very informative and gave me a deeper understanding of the proper steps that law enforcement should take in order to try and as little bias from the eyewitness as possible. It gave a very detailed and organized ‘how to’ guide to ensure that the lineup can hold up in court and secure an eyewitness testimony that is as reliable as possible.
From the very beginning, with the dispatcher call there are certain steps that were explained in the guide. I think that this tends to get overlooked, however this may be a very important part of the investigation because it creates the groundwork. Also, this may be a time where the eyewitness can describe the perpetrator while they are actually seeing them, it may be not just from their memory at this point. The guide also stated that these eyewitnesses might help to create other leads in the case, which may not have been discovered without their help.
Another interesting aspect of the guide was how important an eyewitness testimony can be because it can corroborate other pieces of evidence. I have not thought about that, however it would make sense that a testimony could help secure the reliability of other eyewitness testimonies, or other evidence in the investigation.
The guide emphasized the importance of the objectivity in the investigation for gathering evidence from an eyewitness. This seemed to be an important factor when creating a ‘mug book’ to ensure that the witness’ memory would not be influenced by any biases. Also, by keeping a thorough documentation of the procedure and steps taken can ensure that when the investigation gets tried at court, the defense cannot find any flaws to perhaps have the case dropped.
It also seemed important to make the eyewitness as comfortable as possible to secure the best interview possible. By ensuring a welcoming atmosphere, it can help create a good relationship between the interviewer and the witness, yielding the best results possible when it comes to the witness’ memory because they are so comfortable. Also, the guide discussed that a witness may remember more details after the interview is over and by having a good relationship, it may create better communication and the witness would be more likely to return with more details that they remember.
The guide makes a great point by repeating that these steps should be taken to increase the accuracy of the eyewitness’ testimony. It is important for not only for the police to take the proper procedural steps, but it is also important to ensure that an innocent person does not take the blame for a crime that they did not commit.
One of the most surprising facts in the guide was just how many factors can affect the reliability and fairness of a lineup or identification. It important that the witness is well informed about the procedures, and directions about what they are going to do. They can be influenced by investigators “unintentional cues”, including things like body language, or tone of voice. Overall, the guide was very informative and did a thorough explanation as to why following the procedures so strictly will create the most credible and reliable eyewitness testimony possible.
Terms: eyewitness testimony, law enforcement, investigation, evidence, mug book, court, defense, interviewer, crime, lineup
As with the CSI handbook, I found this eyewitness guide to be very detailed. The guide did a nice job of explaining how the police should handle 911 calls, mug shots, and lineups.
I didn't realize all of the precision that goes answering a 911 call. The police must try to get as much information as they can without even seeing the crime scene, suspects or witnesses. One thing I probably never would have thought of was to ask open ended questions. It seems obvious to me now and I realize how crucial it really is. This guide and chapter 7 both talked a lot about leading questions and what to do to avoid them. Even in the middle of a chaotic situation, the police must remain calm and ask the right questions to get the most information they can. They must do all that they can to avoid messing with the evidence.
I was intrigued by the detail that goes into constructing lineups. For one, I wasn't aware until class on Thursday that there were two types of lineups, live and sequential. I didn't even know that they could be combined! I also didn't know that you needed a limited number of "fillers." Again, it makes sense after reading the guide because you don't want to have too many people to overwhelm the witness. I found it interesting that they mentioned something about covering up tattoos or finding other people with similar tattoos in the same place. Again, you don't want to make it obvious who the suspect is because then you are non-verbally telling the witness, "this is our suspect."
The guide was repetitive in that it mentioned the same rules for a lot of the lineups. For instance, the investigator isn't supposed to say anything that would sway the witness to believe one thing over another. They are also not supposed to say anything once a suspect has been identified. They must proceed with the lineup (especially if it's sequential). That is of course if the law allows it. IN all situations, the witness is to be given plenty of time to make a decision. They should not feel rushed in anyway.
I also found it interesting how confidential investigators want to keep everything. They are not to show anyone if a suspect is identified until things are confirmed. It is important to have a confirmed subject because once the media hears the news, they will construe several different stories both true and untrue. It is also important for the witness to avoid talking to the media until everything is settled. The media has a tendency to persuade a person one way or another and that could have detrimental effects on the whole process of identifying a suspect. The media will point fingers at who they think did it, which will indefinitely impact the witness and/or jury members.
I also want to note that I found it good that research is being done to ensure that both reliability and validity are being met. In the opening disclaimer, the guide mentioned how their information was based of research and that they are doing more to increase reliability. This is good in any circumstance dealing with or without the law. In cases of criminal activity, you want to ensure that you pin the right suspect and that the witnesses are informed how best to do so.
Overall, I found this guide to be very well written. It provided enough detail for investigators, as well as witnesses. I would recommend this guide to anyone interested in the law and how police lineups work.
Terms used:
Reliability, Validity, Live Lineup, Sequential Lineup, Witness, Media, Evidence, Filler, and Leading Questions.
The Eyewitness Guide is another straightforward explanation of how to properly conduct an aspect of a criminal investigation. Just like the CSI Handbook, this manual spells out the proper protocol and procedures in a very simple manner that is clear to understand.
The thing that stood out the most throughout the article was the use of open ended questions. For every aspect of recording witness descriptions and testimony it is stressed. The reason behind using open ended questions is to not influence or tamper the memory of the witness. Often times emergency calls happen under stressful situations, when memory can be easily influenced and will often have gaps or lead to misremembering.
Line ups seemed to be the main focus of the Eyewitness Guide. It covered everything from mugshot books to live line ups. There were many similarities between all the different identification styles in terms of what should be said/done with the witness in the room. In order to maximize the validity of any identification a witness must feel comfortable and not like they are required to identify a suspect. This can be achieved by reenforcing the fact that the suspect may or may not appear in the line up and that an investigation will continue on either way.
Not only does the Guide cover what to do with the witness in a line up but also how to make a line up that is not bias. In order to assure accuracy there should be many people in the line up and they should have similar traits. It would not be valid to have people with drastic differences. When it comes to a live line up it is also vital that all subjects perform the same tasks/commands.
Memory encoding and recall can be greatly influenced by outside factors and can diminish over time. That is why it is vital to conduct investigations in a timely manner and witnesses need to be handled gently.
terms: Eyewitness, lineup, identification, suspect, encoding, recall
Well to start off I am quite dumb founded when looking the manual. I had seen a few CSI shows so you once in a while learn about some things dealing with eyewitnesses but I had a very inadequate knowledge of eyewitness accounts and how police are supposed to handle the process as well when looking at this manual. In a way some procedures in the manual were similar to the forensic manual in a way for how certain people are supposed to do specific things and not sway or it could jeopardize the whole operation. The 9-1-1 dispatcher is one of these people who have to do many different things to help a victim with many principles, procedures, and policies. They also will ensure the victim they will be alright, get the information dispatchers need right away, and speak certain ways to get the right information.
The mug book preparer has to find many different pictures which cannot be suggestive. Preparers have to have certain ways of processing the picture or video.
The one I found most interesting was the preinterview preparations and decisions. I thought this was the most interesting because this is the one most commonly seen on TV and it seems that on the TV that they are always a little bias blaming someone right there pretty much but in the manual it is very similar to the dispatcher in how information is received.
As I read it more and more I got a lot out of this manual some I already knew about from watching some real crime scene tv shows and we also talked about a few in class like the showup.
Terms: eyewitnesses, principles, procedures, policies, suggestive, and bias
The Eyewitness Guide is another very interesting detailed explanation on how to conduct certain parts of investigations. They made it very clear just as they did with the CSI Handbook.
The one thing that i first noticed about the Eyewitness Guide is how they did the Principle, Policy, and Procedure just as they did with the CSI Handbook. The first part dealt with the initial 911 phone call and the correct procedure to take the calls. I've heard a few 911 calls before, just recordings that have been played over. One 911 call that I heard was the call that was made to the dispatcher regarding the Lindsay Nichols' case that happened in Jesup. There was a lot of grief that was given about that phone call because people thought that the dispatcher hadn't done a very good job and was more rude with the boyfriend who called the shooting in. I agreed with what others had been saying about this phone call. This dispatcher had come off more rude that anything and had been getting upset with the caller. This part of the handbook tells us to make sure they get all information but do it in a good manner because they know that people are going to call them when they are upset, and need to figure out how to get all correct information under a stressful event. The investigation and obtaining information from the witness is all very self-explanatory. Just making sure they are getting all the correct information and even when obtaining information to not give lead questions that could make the witness unsure.
The next section dealt with the Mug Books which was a very detailed procedure. From collecting the picture to having the witness look through them in a very detailed process. The handbook talked about how all the pictures either have to be in black and white or colored and they need to make sure that one picture isn't sticking out from the rest so that it doesn't seem like that is the subject and they are just giving them the hint. In my experience with my job, I've only ever had to go through on Mugbook. While working a case with the Cedar Falls Police Department, they had brought in a Mugbook with a collection of photos of African American men. There was a few pages of men and they were all in color instead of in black and white. It was very interesting to do because I had to study each picture very well to make sure that I wouldn't be picking out the wrong person. You have to be 100% sure, not 99.9% sure because you don't want to be sending the wrong person to jail, that is why eyewitness testimony has to be right on, no mistakes.
Dealing with interviewing the witness is probably one of the most important parts during an investigation. When you interview a witness you want to make sure that you are interviewing them when the are calm and collected because when they are comfortable and not freaking out they are able to remember more information. The investigator needs to make sure they are not giving leading questions to confuse the witness and just let them tell all of the information that they know. Recording information is also very important because you want the correct information and don't want the witness to be changing their mind all the time, so you'll go back to what they had previously stated. I also think that keeping in contact is important as well because staying in contact with them will show them that you care and that they can trust you which might give them more reason to give out information.
I don't really think that show-ups are as good as line ups are. I think that shows ups are more personal than line ups and the witness might be a little more nervous about doing it rather than they will with the line ups. The line ups part was extremely detailed. One of the most important things that the witness was told is that the subject may not be in the line up. If they make them think that the subject is in the line up, then the witness might pick somebody random and it probably won't be the person that committed the crime.
This handbook is very important along with the CSI Handbook. It gives investigators and those who are going into the criminal justice system the detailed explanation and the procedures that they need to be able to do to make sure that they are doing their job correctly. Working in this field is very important and a lot of times you are responsible for other people, so you have to make sure you are doing the right thing the correct way.
terms: principle, policy, procedure, eyewitness testimony, witness
Reading the eyewitness guide for different lineup constructions and evaluations proved to be a learning experience for me. The guide was extensive and seemed to cover multiple different scenarios that happen in real life.
I loved how the guide began right from the very beginning at answering the 9-1-1 emergency calls. It makes a point to say that this initial information is crucial to the investigation and that anything that is sad can influence the accuracy of the information obtained from the witness. I thought it was also very helpful how the guide laid out step-by-step procedures for each of the different principles. I never realized before how much work goes into obtaining information from the witnesses and then documenting the procedure correctly.
Before reading this guide, I had no idea what mug books or composites were. I learned that mug books are collections or photos of people who had been previously arrested. They are used in cases where a suspect has not been narrowed down and law enforcement has run out of other sources. Composites are images that can be beneficial investigative tools as well. But, both mug books and composites have to be used correctly and appropriately so that they do not yield tainted results or information. You must be careful about how you group and position different photos, and you have to make sure that you do not lead the witness in any kind of way when they are looking at them.
Instructing the witness has a lot to do with keeping witnesses separate from other witnesses and making sure that they know what they are going to be told to do when looking at a mug book or a lineup. Then, when documenting the procedure, you have to make sure that you provide an accurate record of the results obtained from the witness. Doing this would entail documentation in written form that tells the procedure that was used and the results of the procedure, including the witness’ own words about how certain they are of any identification.
Another thing I did not know before reading the eyewitness guide was that there are preinterview preparations and decisions that must take place before one actually meets with a witness. This comes before initial contact with the witness, conducting the actual interview, recording witness recollections, assessing the accuracy of individual elements of a witness’ statement, and maintaining contact with the witness. I had no clue that there were so many steps that went into merely meeting with a witness.
An area of the guide that confused me was when it discussed showups. It described showups as a field identification procedure, but I am still not sure what that really means. I think that it may have something to do with having one single suspect be shown to the witness instead of in a lineup. I hope that I am able to figure out more about showups because I hate when I’m not able to fully understand a concept that I should be learning.
Something I found to be very interesting about the identification procedure was that there were many different types, such as: simultaneous photo lineup, sequential photo lineup, simultaneous live lineup, and sequential live lineup. Most of the steps in the different procedures followed somewhat of the same path, but the different procedures are used in different circumstances. I found it neat that there are different ways of trying to see whether a witness can identify a suspect as being the perpetrator.
Although there are so many steps in ensuring that information isn’t messed up and that a witness is able to identify a suspect, something always lingers in the back of my mind that pertains to eyewitness memory. I feel as though there are so many things that could go wrong, and if a witness is under stress or some other overwhelming emotion, they might identify the wrong person as being the perpetrator. This is very worrisome, especially after learning in lecture that so many innocent people are convicted each year.
All in all, I feel as though the eyewitness guide is definitely a beneficial tool when it comes to outlining the identification process, but I do think that other steps can be taken to ensure that justice is what results from all of it.
Terms: eyewitness guide, investigation, witness, documentation, mug books, composites, investigative tools, interview, showups, lineup, simultaneous photo lineup, sequential photo lineup, simultaneous live lineup, sequential live lineup, suspect, perpetrator, eyewitness memory, emotion
The Eyewitness Guide for Lineups was very interesting and informative. It first starts out by setting goals that the guide hopes to accomplish by means of increasing the amount of information elicited from the witness, increasing the eye witness’s accuracy, and improving the evaluation of strength and accuracy of the witness. The guide then provides step-by-step instructions on how to proceed with different situations that occur while accomplishing the goals set forth.
Reading the guide, I was intrigued by how one must go about asking questions. One fact in particular the guide mentions and we discussed in class is to never ask suggestive or leading questions. This is problematic in which the eye witness’s testimony may be contaminated. Another interesting fact the guide mentions is to separate the witnesses and ask them to not discuss the scene or details to one another. If the witnesses do discuss details, biases may occur. As discussed in class, for instance the perpetrator may look similar to someone all the witnesses know (a co-worker). Most the witnesses may not put the perpetrator and their co-worker together until the idea is presented to them. This is problematic in which the eyewitnesses’ memory is contaminated and a bias is presented toward their co-worker.
Lineups are instructed in detailed steps. What surprised me most about the steps of forming a lineup was that complete uniformity of features is not required. The guide advises to avoid using fillers who so closely resemble the suspect that a person familiar with the suspect might find it difficult to distinguish the suspect from the fillers. I thought that was interesting because I assumed when forming a line up, one should find people who look very similar. I assumed this because if the victim was very confident, then they should be able to tell the difference. Reading the steps however, it makes sense in which having two men look so much may cause problems.
Overall the guide has been helpful in my understanding of how eyewitness information is obtained and processed. Eyewitnesses’ memory may be contaminated easily and biases may occur frequently. With that understanding, it is important to obtain eyewitnesses’ information in a way that increases the information elicited from the witness, increasing the eye witness’s accuracy, and improving the evaluation of strength and accuracy of the witness.
Terms: accuracy, contamination, bias, eyewitness memory, victim, perpetrator, lineups
The eyewitness guide, similar to the CSI handbook, does a good job of giving detail-oriented outlines of what each person involved with a witness should do. I think that the way the guide was laid out is a good and simplistic way of explaining what each person’s job is. I also believe that the eyewitness guide does a good job of explaining what not to do, especially in the line-up and show-up sections where procedure is extremely important.
The first part to the eyewitness guide that pertained to the 9-1-1 call taker and dispatcher was quite interesting to me. Much like the responding officer, not much credit is given to the call takers in how much they contribute to a case/crime scene. I thought it was important to note that the guide points out that the call taker should not be suggestive or give leading questions to the caller. This is important because the way the witness relays the situation to the 9-1-1 call taker and the details they give will most likely be used in their later recollections. If the call taker is suggestive and happens to confuse the witness, then the witness is more likely to change their story which could lead to the wrong person being arrested, or the perpetrator getting away. Also, the 9-1-1 call taker must receive all of the vital information including facts that could keep the witness and responding officers safe. The call taker must be thorough when asking the witness questions.
The second part that I found interesting was the description of mug books. I have never heard of these and, although it does sound like common sense that they would have a book complied of previous felons pictures, I had never really thought about it before. My first thought when reading this section was that it seemed like a picture line-up rather than an in person line-up, which would have the same implications if done incorrectly. However, after reading more about them, I felt as though this might be a better way of initially presenting suspects so as to not have one person stand out more than another. The mug books seem as though the police would have more control of how the witness is presented in the pictures and can do so in a manner where each person had an equal chance of being chosen. Then again, it would have the same downfalls as a regular line-up where the police could manipulate photos and the order to push one person’s picture over another. This would be similar to the story that we talked about in class where the picture used in her arrest was from several years before when she looked differently than she did at the present.
I liked the fact that the guide emphasized that the police should keep in contact with their witnesses and keeping the relationship they had previously built with them. By keeping in contact with the witnesses, police have a better chance of receiving information remembered later on and perhaps if the perpetrator comes in contact with them. Also, this has the benefit that if the police need anything from the witness (ex: testimony, DNA, etc.) they will be more understanding and more likely to help the police.
Lastly, I felt that the section about show-ups and line-ups is an important aspect of the eyewitness guide. Although show-ups are not recommended, I felt that it was good that the guide included this as an option to provide procedural guidelines so that the suggestibility of this action would be limited. Having a standardized set of rules for this procedure will limit the mistakes made. The overview on line-ups does a good job of covering each aspect of line-ups from composing them to analyzing them. This section goes into great detail to prevent many mistakes in a mistake-prone procedure from occurring. I believe that the guide well utilizes research that has been done on line-ups and facial recognition to help shape how the procedure should be written. The composition portion of the line-ups emphasizes that police should not use people who closely resemble the perpetrator so that it does not confuse the witness. This is an important fact to note, because when using similar looking people in a line-up, there is a higher chance of error. The section about instructing the witness during a line-up stresses the importance of relaying to police not give away any bias towards one person and to stay subjective during the process. Finally, the discussion about conducting the line-up does detail each of the specific line-up situations that police may encounter and how to proceed while conducting each one. The segment of the guide detailing show-ups and line-ups emphasizes the idea that each of these two procedures can be extremely confusing and suggestible to a witness, and if the procedure is followed, then mistakes should be minimal.
Overall, I feel as though the eyewitness guide details each aspect of dealing with a witness from start to finish. However, I do feel that certain areas could be reworked and when dealing with witnesses, psychologist should play a larger role.
Terms: eyewitness guide, dispatcher, witness, perpetrator, leading question, mug book, felons, line-up, suspects, testimony, DNA, show-up
In reading the Eyewitness guide, I was amazed at the amount of detail that it provides on such a specific topic. It really caught my attention when I saw the protocol that is provided for police dispatchers. I had never considered that they could have a significant role in eyewitness memory. Looking back it makes sense because the witness may be able to give a description then and there before investigating officers arrive. It also makes sense that the running policy is to avoid leading questions and instead leave the questions open ended so as not to skew the witness' memory. Another interesting point is that the investigating officers should separate all the witnesses so that they cannot discuss details of the incident with other witnesses. This can prevent them from falsifying a story and also prevents inadvertent consensus on inaccurate details.
Mug books are something that I had never considered before. The criteria for creating one seems like important information because not only do you want the witness to be able to identify the real perpetrator, you also don't want them to choose an innocent individual by mistake. It seems like a very smart idea to have the photos grouped according to similar criteria and that each picture appears only once. I had considered what could happen if the mug books were presented in a haphazard way, and it seems like there could be a much higher potential for wrongful convictions.
The information about conducting the interview with the witness was also very interesting. It seemed pretty straightforward, yet I would not have considered many of the factors that they provide. Firstly it makes sense to encourage the witness to volunteer all the information without prompting, this would prevent any kind of leading of the witness. It also seems important to caution the witness not to guess, and also to avoid ever interrupting the witness. The guide also says to encourage the witness to avoid media contact and exposure concerning the incident, I would imagine that media pressure could be a very detrimental factor in eyewitness memory.
This guide made for a very interesting read, it was pretty cool to get official insight on this specific line of police work. Before this guide the closest I had come to accurate information in these topics was corny police tv shows.
I really thought the Eyewitness Guide was very informative and resourceful. Much like the CSI handbook it is divided by five sections which give extensive knowledge about the preliminary investigation, mug books and composites, procedures for interviewing the witness, the show up, and identification of suspect. Just like the CSI handbook it divided these sections with the principle, policy, procedure, and summary.
The first section, Section I: Initial Report of the Crime/First Responder, starts off with how all begins. The 911 call. This is an important part of this whole book because the actions of the dispatcher can put someone in danger if not done right. The role of the dispatcher is to make sure that the victim knows the law enforcement is on their way. It is important for the dispatcher to get accurate information without leading questions or suggestions. After this investigating is the next step and also obtaining information from the witness.
Now with the second section, Section II: Mug Books and Composites, is about how to develop a mug book. You would collect photos based on the same characteristics. This could give a clue on who the perpetrator is, but shouldn't really take into full consideration. Next, this section talks about how to instruct the witness on how to do this procedure.
Section III: Procedures for Interviewing the Witness is about how to interview the witness. The investigator has to really get prepared before the interview so he/she can get the maximum information that would help the case. He also would have to built a comfortable relationship with the witness to make this process is easier. Now finally for the interview there is many steps in the procedures like letting the witness volunteer and speak without prompting, avoiding the leading questions, or even thanking the witness for their participation. The information they give the investigator will conduct leads and accurate details of what happened.
Off to the fourth section which is about the Showup. When doing this you have to make sure that the witness know that he/she might be looking at the perpetrator. Also the investigator has to make sure he/she documents the identification accurately.
The final section, Section V: Procedures for Eyewitness Identification of Suspects, involves composing a lineup. This should include one suspect in each identification procedure. You would have to select 5 fillers and make sure they have the characteristics of the perpetrator. Avoid using refillers to the same witness in a different lineup. After looking at the possible suspects conducting the identification procedure is a must. You would have to let the witness know the rules of the procedure of the line up, then record the observations.
I feel like this guide did an excellent job describing the procedures for all the sections. I never knew it would take that much to conduct good interviews and get so much information out of it.
I think having a guide like this is very useful. It was simple and to the point with steps to follow in each area. Being an outsider you don't realize how important every individual's role in, including the dispatcher who is just taking a call. What if the dispatcher knew the caller and couldn't gain composer of themselves during the cal because they were so emotionally involved, that it screwed up obtaining helpful details. I enjoy being able to read all the technicality with each area. The fact that having to use open ended questions plays a huge part in getting details and making sure you aren't being suggestive.
When composing lineups i thought it was interesting to make sure that you move the suspect around during each identification process. Like making sure they aren't standing next to the same fillers or in the same position each time. Also not allowing more than one suspect in the same line-up.
Just from watching shows I knew the importance of not allowing a witness to speak to any media or others involved. Once this happens, the images can become distorted or influenced by others opinions or even what others may have seen. The witness may begin to doubt what they saw and change their testimony.
This manual reminded me a lot of the CSI handbook with all the detailed steps it provided. I feel even though there are many detailed steps, if you aren't good at your job and what you are doing many things could go wrong. I takes an experienced person to do this kind of work. Someone who knows what to look for and obtain good, clear information, make a successful line-up etc.
terms: line-up, witness, suspect, CSI, dispatcher, testimony
The primary purpose this handbook is to improve the accuracy and reliability of eyewitness testimony. In order to achieve this goal, researchers, legal professionals, and law officers worked together in order to apply the most up-to-date psychological information to evidence collection.
Within the handbook, the authors write that eyewitness evidence is part of a “memory trace” which is equivalent to a physical trace and must be handled just as carefully. The method which is used to collect the memory trace, just like physical evidence, can be tainted by improper collection.
Within the guide, the initial contact (usually the 9-1-1 dispatcher) should ask open-ended and close-ended questions but avoid leading questions. Leading questions suggest the answer and, therefore, could contaminate the memory trace.
Regarding conduct for the preliminary investigating officer, the suggestions within the guide are very similar to the previous guide assigned in class. In order to preserve the memory trace, this guide encourages officers to separate the witnesses and discourage the witnesses from talking to each other. Like the dispatchers, the officers should avoid leading questions when gather eyewitness reports.
Unlike the Crime Scene guide, this guide discusses how to properly create a mug book. In order to not affect the eyewitness’ memory, this book should be devoid of bias. Bias can be avoided by grouping color photos apart from black-and-white photos, placing suspects’ photos in the book only once, and using fairly recent photos.
When preparing to interview witnesses or when interviewing witnesses, this guide emphasizes knowing the emotional state of the interviewee. This state, part of every aspect of psychology, can affect the memory trace. The guide suggests that the interviewee should be as comfortable as possible. Additionally, behavioral psychological research suggests that the interviewer should ask about previous interactions this witness has had with law enforcement in order to better understand their current psychological state. Like all other portions of the evidence collection, no leading questions should be asked as these will taint the witness’ memory.
Showups can be another element of the investigative process. This procedure can be particularly harmful to the reliability of the eyewitness’s memory. Once the witness sees someone who may be similar to the perpetrator or who may be wearing similar clothing, the witness’ memory could be significantly altered.
The lineup procedure, like all of the other procedures, uses psychology to minimize bias and to ensure an accurate account. A minimum of five fillers should be used and the witness should be prepped to understand that the perpetrator may not be present in the lineup. As with all of the procedures, the results of this method should be written down to accurately preserve the findings.
All of procedures and method specifications are based upon psychological research. The purpose of these suggestions is to ensure that the correct person is caught by providing untainted eyewitness accounts to investigators. Social psychology research is used to ensure that witnesses’ memories are not influenced by other witnesses, dispatchers, investigators, and attorneys. Cognitive research has discovered that verbalizing memories may alter the memory and, as a result, taint evidence. Additionally, cognitive psychology is used to prevent bias in the mug books by making sure undo attention is not given to a particular suspect because of how the photos are arranged. Behavioral psychology has found that the witness’ confidence in their decision will affect, perhaps negatively, the accuracy of his or her account.
If investigators use these methods, there is a better chance that the correct person will be caught and taken to trial. By increasing the reliability of eyewitness testimony, the reliability of the court system also increases. Improving eyewitness testimony is especially important because eyewitness accounts are very persuasive to juries. This persuasiveness may be another element of social psychology or cognitive psychology because the jury may sympathize with the eyewitness.
Key Terms: memory trace, bias, mug book, leading questions, social psychology, behavioral psychology, cognitive psychology, showups, accuracy, reliability, eyewitness testimony, evidence collection
After reading the Eyewitness Evidence Guide it became clear that when investigating any type of crime, the professionals involved need to be quick to think clearly and put their training to the ultimate test by acting on the immediate situation in a way that will not contaminate any part of the process from beginning to end. This guide was very interesting to read in order to get a hold on how important each and every step in an investigation is; which is something I did not truly realize until taking this class.
To me the most interesting section within this guide was the section about preparing, developing, and using the mug books in an investigation when a suspect has not yet been determined. It amazed me how each and every detail had to be done with perfection in order to not lead the witness to select one particular photo over another. Even how and where the photos are shown to the witness is a decision-making process in and of itself. Overall, the mug books were a very interesting technique to learn about.
As for line-ups, this section also made me realize how articulate the investigator has to be in order to not lead the witness in any way. The part of the procedure where it is recommended to place the suspect in different positions in each lineup with multiple witnesses was something that I hadn’t even thought of before reading this guide. The instructions that the witness is given such as not paying attention to the facial hair and/or hair color was something that was very interesting to me as well. It is something that I would have never thought of prior to reading this guide, but it makes perfect sense as to why it is instructed in that way. The lineup is obviously very important to the outcome of the case. The only problem that I see is that this very procedure is something that could also land an innocent individual in prison merely because someone picked them out of a group of people and said “They did it!”. So not only is this procedure good for naming a perpetrator, but it could also go all wrong. Therefore, this statement shows that how the investigator prepares the line-up is something that involves many aspects of many different disciplines such as psychology in order not to bias or lead the witness in any way.
All in all, I thought this guide was a great thing to read in order to better understand different procedures in an investigation. I can definitely see how this guide can be very useful to all parts of the Criminal Justice System. This guide also makes me realize how important Psychology really is when it comes to investigating a crime and trying to understand how the criminal mind works and how and why a witness perceives the crime the way they do.
After reading through the Eyewittness Evidence Guide I feel very well informed. This handbook was very imformative. It reminded me of the CSI handbook as well being that they were both seperated into five sections and very detailed about what a person should do. This handbook was very simple and clear on what a person needed to do.
Something that was interesting that I didnt know was when a person calls the police after the dispatcher just the preliminary information they then assure the person that the police/ambulance are on their way which is obvious but what I didnt know is that the dispatcher should ask open ended questions to the caller which caught me by surprise since i thought they just hung out after they said the police/ambulance was on their way. As i read further it made more sense to me why they would ask open ended questions to the caller becuase the sooner you ask them questions the more accurate they will be since the crime or situtation is more fresh in their minds.
Another point that i read in this handbook was that they needed to seperate witnesses so they dont discuss the details of what they saw and what the other witness say because that could cause them to change their perception of what really did happen.
I think if you have multiple witnesses looking at a line up i think that its a great idea for them to change them around in the line for each witnesses just in case one of the witnesses says something then they can change it around and the witness will have to make a decision on their own no matter what.
Overall this handbook gave a great discription of everything you need to go through to get a lineup. I feel very well informed about what I would need to go through if i ever witnessed a crime or a situtation.
Upon reading through the eyewitness evidence guide I was pleased to see the organization and simplicity of the layout. Many time I feel guides like this can become confounded and bogged down in detail making them less likely to be used on any sort of regular basis. Instructions for every aspect of cataloging eye witness evidence from start to finish (starting at the 911 call to report the crime and ending with the recording of the eyewitness identification of the suspect) is laid out in this guide in a simple step-by-step way, making it applicable to almost every situation. There was also a lot of care given to drawing attention to the way the suspect and other people in the lineup are perceived in terms of physical attributions and clothing as well as the phrasing used in describing these things. For example, the mug book is not called "mug book" and the pictures not "mug shots", they are simply described as a "collection of pictures". They also talk about telling the witness that the identification is as much about exonerating the innocent as it is convicting the guilty. I thought this was interesting because in the justice system there is not as much talk about clearing the innocent as there is finding and persecuting the guilty and I felt this phrasing cast the people in the lineup in a slightly different light. All of these things I thought were great benefits provided by this guide. I did, however, have some concerns about the application of this guide.
My first concern was arose when the guide started talking about questioning in the 911 calls. This means that not just the detectives need to be well versed and comfortable with this guide, but also dispatch. Not only that but realistically they would have to have the step-by-step guide for every sort of crime memorized and ready to use comfortable at the drop of a dime in emergency situations, meaning they would to have some fairly extensive training with this matter which would be both costly and time consuming.
Also this guide assumes strict adherence from police, and I cannot help but think of the example given in class about the detectives who used an old photograph in a lineup to insure the suspect would be picked. When detectives feel they are right how closely will they stick to these guidelines when the can manipulate the lineup to convict the suspects they feel are guilty? And how likely are experienced detectives who feel their methods are effective to adopt these new techniques?
Overall I fell the guide is very useful and well organized. I think that it is a helpful tool connecting social scientists with law professionals to ensure that the rights of those identified by eyewitnesses are being upheld and that all that can be done to find those that are truly guilty is being done. My concern is in the application of the guide in real life, though it is very well out together.
Eyewitness evidence is one of the most highly psychological tools used in criminal investigation. Although most try to do their best in eyewitness testimonies, many mistakes can be made by the victim/witness and/or the person conducting the process. Do to these reasons, an eyewitness evidence handbook was created by psychologists and law enforcement specialists for law enforcement and others in conducting lineups and eyewitness testimonies. The handbook has five sections: Initial Report of the Crime/First Responder, Mug Books and Composites, Procedures for Interviewing the Witness by the Followup Investigator, Field Identification Procedure, and Procedures for Eyewitness Identification of Suspects.
In section one, I find it helpful how it goes through the 911 call and the dispatchers roles and procedures to follow. Just by reading this part, I think that anyone could act as a dispatcher or preliminary investigating officer due to the clear layout and description of this section. It is critical to have accurate and clear notes during this time, and I think the handbook displays how one should go about collecting preliminary data in an accurate fashion.
In section two, I find that creating a mug book could be quite difficult. It would be hard to composite images of possible suspects. I would think that this would require someone without bias, which is hard to come by if not approached correctly by the officer in charge. Prepping the witnesses prior to the procedure could also be hard because they may not remember, and due to this they could pad their story and convince themselves that they must remember certain aspects that they really do not. This second section is very much about being orderly and organized to advance to the next step of interviewing.
I think that the third phase would be the hardest when one has to actually interview the witness. Not only does the interviewer have to conduct the interview well with specific questions and also record it well, but they also have to be able to create a rapport with the witness, making them appear calm and comforting to the witness, but still neutral and professional.
In the fourth and fifth section, field identification procedure, it discusses how showups should be conducted and recorded, and how lineups should be prepared, conducted, and recorded. I feel that it would be really easy to screw up the actual act of the lineup because of human nature and because bias is so easy to have or receive. There are many steps to producing accurate lineups, but how can someone be completely neutral when it is human nature to create opinions? There are so many different steps when conducting the identification procedure that something could easily be disrupted.
Between faulty memories and biases, it's surprising that lineups are still used. We know that many things can affect memory including stress, time, fear, etc. I can see where this would be a very difficult job to do well. Overall, I find each section interesting and very similar to the format of the CSI Handbook. Both handbooks are very informative and clear to the point. I like how neither of these handbooks skirt around the issue or are overly wordy. Although clear to the point and informative this handbook is a little unrealistic, due to personal factors, such as emotions, biases, and memories. It is also unrealistic because it is so step-by-step, which would be hard to accurately follow when you are in the moment and working with the public.
I found the eyewitness guide very interesting to read. I thought it was very easy to understand, even though it was packed with information. The guide gave very easy to follow, step-by-step instructions. And it made sure not to miss a step either. It made sure that everyone reading it could clearly understand what was needed to be done in every situation that could happen when dealing with witnesses.
I thought it was interesting how much of this related to exactly what we have talked about in class and people find out information in crime scenes by leading witnesses sometimes. Many times throughout the eyewitness guide does it state “Avoid saying anything to the witness that may influence the witness’ selection.” It is a very important fact that eyewitness evidence doesn’t get tainted by an outlier’s opinion. There are many ways to make sure that this doesn’t happen, like using a blind line-up administrator that knows nothing about the case so they wouldn’t be able to give the witness any guides as to how they were doing with lineups.
I also enjoyed learning about how lineups were conducted because it helped me figure out how to do my fake one. For example, it talked about how to pick good fillers to make the lineup unbiased. Also, using bias-reducing instruction like letting the witness know that the suspect may not be in the line-up also reduces the possibility of a witness picking someone because they feel pressured. Overall, I thought that this guide did a very good job of breaking down information to make sure procedures can be followed to the best of their abilities.
Terms: eyewitness, blind line-up administrator, lineup, filler, unbiased/biased lineup, bias-reducing instruction
After reading the eyewitness guide, i thought it was similar to the CSI handbook we had read earlier. I thought the layout of the books were similar and easy to follow. It made me feel more assuring of the book knowing that it has had research backing up what was written in the book. Like the CSI handbook, this gave pretty well detailed step by step instructions when approaching an eyewitness. The book is divided into five sections.
The first section is the initial report of the crime or the first responder. It stresses that the emergency dispatcher should obtain info from the eyewitness as accurately as possible in a manner where the dispatcher will not influence the eyewitness. Then the investigating officer must obtain a basis for accurate collection of info and obtain information from the witness. It is important not to use leading questions in this part of the investigation.
The second section is about taking mug shots. The photos of these mug shot should be well organized (even by type of photo). When a witness is given a mug shot book, it is important not influence the witness or use leading questions when asking the witness to describe what they saw.
The third section gives instructions for the follow up investigator. First the investigator should review all of the information, then interview the witness. The investigator should create a relationship with the witness so that they are comfortable that way the witness is more willing to provide more information. Then the investigator should conduct an interview that will lead to post-interview communication. Once again, it is important to record the information down accurately and then assessing the accuracy of the eyewitness account.
The fourth section is about field identification procedure. When conducting showups, it is important to take precautions because of the suggestiveness of it. But it can provide a lot of information early in an investigation. When recording showups, it is important to be accurate for use in court proceedings.
The fifth section describes procedures for eyewitness identification of suspects. There are both photo and live lineups. When composing lineups, the suspect should not stand out from the rest. Providing instructions to the witness before identifying in the lineups is likely to increase accuracy. When identifying a perpetrator, it is important to conduct it so it will be fair and reliable.
Overall, I think this book is a good book for law enforcement and people involved in law. It provides a good guideline for obtaining information. Accuracy is very important in obtaining information from witnesses. I feel anyone new to a career involved in law can get good use out of this book.
I thought the Guide was a very interesting document. It specifically listed everything that was needed to get done in order. The first part was interesting to me because they really get the FIRST information when it is the most fresh in their minds. They have called 911 for a reason and at that point no one else has talked to them about the situation. It makes sense to me why they would be required to ask open-ended questions so they are careful not to lead the witness to saying something that isn't true.
The second section was interesting as well because it had everything about the mug books. These were something that I very vaguely knew about. I didn't know that they had to be arranged in a specific order and color and size and everything else. This came as a surprise to me.
The following-up with the witness in the next section was the most interesting to me. While I knew that these precautions had to be taken, I wasn't aware that it was actually in writing. It stated that a comfortable witness will provide more information which is completely true but I wasn't aware of how serious these precautions are.
The next section was about showups. This section was pretty boring, but provided information on how important showups can be. They can provide investigative information but can also be very suggestive so they really have to be careful with this.
The last section was about composing lineups. This had a lot of information in it about how important it is to do a lineup right. They can't have more than one suspect in a lineup at the same time. They all have to have similar features. They should also have a minimum of about four fillers for these lineups. Recording the results is also important in this process. This records what the witness has identified and they have them sign and date the document so they stand better in court.
The Guide was an informative document that would definitely prove to be helpful in a real situation!
This document is very interesting to read. Just like the CSI handbook it describes in detail what is the proper way to do things is. One thing I like is not only that the officer or person on the phone trying to make sure they get all the information the right way from the whiteness but also making sure that they are ok. The nice thing about this hand book is that it tell what needs be done but also how and in the correct order. In the second part It says that only one photo at a time should be shown to the whiteness. I think that is a big part about identifying the perpetrator. I was once told that if a whiteness was given a sheet with a lot of photos on it they believe that the person who committed the crime is on that sheet even if they are not. In general it's nice to know that this hand book is there and that it is used. One little small detail that is said could change a eye whiteness mind in a second then they will 100% believe what was said. After reading this I will never look at another crime show the same again with out thinking about this and seeing if they fallow it.
As with the crime scene investigation handbook, the Eyewitness Evidence Guide methodically and explicitly explained the proper, effective and efficient steps to collect eyewitness evidence. Interestingly enough, as the guide was compiled by psychological experts in the field, the textbook entirely supported what the guide suggested. Many investigators, though not required to, are greatly encouraged to read the guide. I would take this a step or two further and have jurors in cases relying solely or heavily on eyewitness testimony to read the guide, so they would be able to understand the influential nuances of identification procedures on eyewitnesses. Should jurors have a better understanding of the malleability and impressionability of memory, they may be less likely to put faith in strong convictions. Ideally, this would make it easier to weed out incorrect eyewitness identification without hurting the believability of eyewitnesses who are correct in their identification.
The first part of the guide discussed the best method of identifying suspects, perpetrators, what have you and how the manner in which the procedure is conducted can affect the reliability, fairness and objectivity of the identifications. While some of the pointers are commonsensical, such as documenting the procedure and not influencing the witness, many more are subtle suggestions that an ordinary person, or perhaps even many law enforcement officers, would not have thought of. For example, the idea of a sequential line-up removes much of the pressure for the eyewitness to identify someone. Due to social psychological pressures, eyewitnesses can feel like they have to identify someone.
Additionally, the documentation of the procedure and the witness’s reaction curbs the chances of the influence of the witnesses’ confidence. When a law enforcement officer writes that the witnesses tentatively or reluctantly identifies Joe Smith as the perpetrator, it will counteract when the witness eventually solidifies their belief and confidently points at the suspect during their testimony. Additionally, if the officer would write that the witness “identified Joe Smith as the perpetrator without hesitation” it would carry much greater weight and may even compensate for a potential lack of talent as a witness. The guide also recommends video recording the procedure which would be a way to see any biases of the investigator that may unduly influence the eyewitness. However, it should be noted that the recording would only serve as evidence that there were biases as it would be easy for investigators to do something off camera.
The guide also discusses certain actions that are appropriate should other scenarios require immediate measures of identification. For example, should an officer require a show-up, he or she should acquire a description of the suspect by the alleged eyewitness and document that determined description.
One component of the guide that I found initially questionable was the policy that “investigators shall conduct themselves in a manner conducive to eliciting the most information from the witness.” Upon first glance, it seems like the investigators are looking for a specific identification of a prospective suspect, but further reading reveals they’re merely techniques to receive greater communication from the witness. For example, at first it states that investigators should develop a rapport with the witness. My original thoughts on the matter is that that would cause the witness to WANT to make an identification, but it goes on to state that it is merely to “encourage the witness to volunteer information without prompting” which sounds like the right way to go.
Profiling got it's unofficial start in the late 1800's with the profiling of London's Jack the Ripper. Though Jack the Ripper was never apprehended so the accuracy of the profile could never be assessed, it did mark the beginning of the idea that evidence and circumstances of the crime scene could provide facts about the perpetrator that may lead to their apprehension.
This topic was particularly interesting for me because Criminal Minds is one of my favorite shows, and the premise of the show is following profilers of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit as they profile crime scenes to catch the perpetrator. I was very surprised after reading all the readings by A) How ineffective profiling actually is in real life and B) How little research has actually been done on it. In Criminal Minds they make profiling seem far more precise a discipline, with the person they end up catching almost always fitting the profile exactly. What I learned to be true through my readings was much the opposite.
The main idea of profiling seemed, to me, to be taking a crime scene and the crime its self to put the suspect into smaller and smaller groups until they are in a small enough pool to search systematically. In the case of a murder for example, was the killer organized or disorganized? Did they bring the murder weapon and restraining tools with them? Did they know the victim? Did they plan to commit the murder? If so you are dealing with an organized killer. They came with a plan and the tools necessary to carry it out. In these instances the killer probably takes great care in selecting the victim and planning the abduction and murder, and then cleans up after themselves when they are done, making them more difficult to track down. If, on the other hand, the killer uses a weapon that they found on the scene, abducted their victim out of convenience, and left evidence behind at the scene, you are probably dealing with a disorganized killer.
After you identify to which group your killer belongs, you can identify which "type" of killer they are. Visionary type killers typically have visual or auditory hallucinations telling them to commit this crime. In this case the killing plays a role in the persons psychopathy, and understanding the delusion and what part the killing plays in it will help lead you to the killer. Mission type killers on the other hand, kill to try to rid the world of people they see as evil or unfit to live. This type of people might focus on sub-groups like prostitutes for example, seeing them as evil or unclean. Hedonistic type killers are more of what we tend to think of in pop culture when we think of serial killers. These are the people who kill for the pure enjoyment of killing. They take sadistic pleasure in torturing and killing their victims. This killers often have a sexual component to them. So too do Power-Oriented type killers. These people kill to assert dominance and control over their victims. Though there is usually a sexual component to these murders, it is tertiary. The main focus is on controlling the victim.
Another way to thin the pool of suspects is to identify whether or not they are a serial killer, that is, have they committed three or more separate murders with cooling off periods in between. If so these murders can be linked by their signature. Though their MO may change, their signature will stay largely consistent through each crime. It is important to distinguish that the MO is different than the signature. The MO (modus operandi) is how the crime was committed (how the victim was selected, restrained, murdered, etc.) whereas the signature is why or in what way the murder was done. They can be difficult to tease apart as they are often closely linked. For example, in the silence of the lambs, Buffalo Bills MO was to abduct larger women, keep them for three days, and then kill them. His signature was removing the skin. Keeping them for three days (MO) made it easier to remove their skin (signature).
When I thought of profiling, homicides where the types of crimes I thought of, but the readings pointed out that other types of crimes can be profiled as well. I was very surprised, for example, that studies found that profiles for sexual abuse cases were far more accurate than those made for murder cases, if for no other reason than I would have thought there would be more evidence available at the crime scene of a murder than a sexual assault. That was just one of the things these readings have opened my eyes to.
Profiling, Organized Killers, Disorganized Killers, Visionary Type, Mission Type, Hedonistic Type, Power-Oriented Type, Serial Killer, Signature, MO, Evidence