The Pros And Cons Of Police Suspection

The pressure a witness feels in a lineup to choose a suspect can be a great one. Often times the witness looks to the police officer for guidance. When a witness is not sure they may identify a suspect and after ask the police officer how well they did and if they choose the right person. When conducting a lineup, a police officer should be careful not to give feedback or confirmation. When a police officer simply says “good job” even if the witness chooses wrong, it can cause a huge confident boost. When its time for the trial the witness is more likely to make the same mistake again (Clare, 2012, para. 7). When conducting a lineup, the police should use the Blind or Blinded Administration method. In this method the police officer does not know anything about who the suspect is. This will prevent any suggestive or
Many of which can affect the outcome of an identification. Just by simply changing a few ways they handle a witness they can avoid a misidentification. When conducting a lineup, the witness should be told that regardless of the outcome the lineup the investigation into the crime will continue on. After they completed the lineup the witness should complete a statement of confidence, stating how confident they are about the person they identified (Innocence Project, 2015). This way police can judge how the witness feels about the lineup. A police officer should have a good understanding of how a witness feels. According to Wells et al. (1998) researchers have realized that there is an importance in the confidence of the eyewitness. Even the Supreme Court has had eyewitnesses rate their certainty which has been taken into account of the eyewitness accuracy (p. 14). It can be intimidating going up in front of a courtroom. The confidence of a witness plays a huge part in court. Even if the suspect is the wrong one the jury is more likely to believe a confident witness over one who is