Lineup and photo spread procedures: Issues concerning policy recommendations.

Abstract

This article examines the recommended changes to lineup reforms outlined by eyewitness researchers and the impact of these reforms on public policy as reflected in national guidelines for police identification procedures (Technical Working Group for Eyewitness Evidence, 1999). The limitations of these reforms are discussed. Alternative “best practices” for social science researchers, as well as for police, are proposed to minimize false-positive lineup selections and, consequently, convictions of innocent persons. The purpose of this article is to examine recent recommendations for improving outcomes of lineups and photo spreads in applied settings and to comment on some issues related to policy recommendations. The primary issue appears to be whether a best-practices 1 strategy should be used. An analysis of recommendations for changes in eyewitness identification procedures (Wells, 1988; Wells et al., 1998) and subsequently developed public policy (Technical Working Group for Eyewitness Evidence, 1999) are used to illustrate this issue. The relationship between eyewitness research by psychologists and the legal