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Article
Publication date: 21 November 2016

William Wells, Bradley Campbell, Yudu Li and Stryker Swindle

Social scientific research is having a substantial impact on eyewitness identification procedural reforms. Police agencies in the USA have changed their eyewitness practices based…

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Abstract

Purpose

Social scientific research is having a substantial impact on eyewitness identification procedural reforms. Police agencies in the USA have changed their eyewitness practices based on the results of social scientific research. The purpose of this paper is to contribute new knowledge by using a unique set of data to describe detailed aspects of eyewitness identification procedures conducted as part of robbery investigations in Houston, TX.

Design/methodology/approach

Robbery investigators completed surveys following identification procedures conducted during a six-month period of time. The sample includes 975 identification procedures. The analysis describes important features of identification procedures and places results in the context of existing research.

Findings

Results show that photo spreads were the most frequently used lineup procedure and selection outcomes were similar to recent field studies conducted in the USA. Results also show that the type of procedure, presence of a weapon, cross-race identifications, and viewing opportunity were significantly correlated with selection outcomes.

Originality/value

Police are reforming their eyewitness identification procedures based on findings from social science research. The study measures and describe the characteristics of a large sample eyewitness procedures conducted by investigators in the field.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 39 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 November 2015

M. Dyan McGuire, Tamara Kenny and Arijana Grabic

Both anecdotal and empirical evidence indicates that even well-intentioned eyewitnesses can make inaccurate identifications resulting in erroneous prosecutions and wrongful…

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Abstract

Purpose

Both anecdotal and empirical evidence indicates that even well-intentioned eyewitnesses can make inaccurate identifications resulting in erroneous prosecutions and wrongful convictions. The risk of erroneous identification increases when witnesses are asked to identify people belonging to other races. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the policies which enhance the likelihood of obtaining accurate identifications from eyewitnesses. Legal implications especially relevant to police administrators in the USA including constitutional considerations and risks of civil liability are integrated with the empirical record and used to make policy recommendations likely to decrease legal and public relations entanglements for police.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper integrates an empirical literature review with legal research and analysis in order to advocate for prudent policy reforms.

Findings

Both the empirical record and current US law indicate that police administrators would be well-advised to require serial, double-blind identification procedures where witnesses are routinely warned about the perpetrator’s potential absence and required to give immediate certainty statements. Officers should be prohibited from using the same suspect with the same witness more than once and should be provided with training on the inherent dangers of inaccuracy associated with cross-racial identifications.

Originality/value

While a significant amount of material concerning eyewitness identification exists, most of the existing work does not integrate legal realities, especially those concerning civil liability, within the framework of the eyewitness identification literature. Nor does past work contextualize the need for reform with the emerging racially charged atmosphere in which US police must currently work.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 38 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2002

Andrea Buckley and Brian H. Kleiner

Cites an example of eyewitness testimony which led to a wrongful conviction. Asks how accurate is such testimony? Considers the optimum environment for witnesses to remember…

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Abstract

Cites an example of eyewitness testimony which led to a wrongful conviction. Asks how accurate is such testimony? Considers the optimum environment for witnesses to remember events, the effect to witness of the use of disguises and weapons by suspects and the accuracy of memory over time. Discusses line‐ups and photo arrays, the race of the individuals involved and the ability to perform in court. Concludes that eyewitness must be subject to close scrutiny and not automatically accepted as truthful or accurate.

Details

Managerial Law, vol. 44 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0558

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 29 February 2008

Janet Chan

This chapter examines the ‘new lateral surveillance’, spearheaded by government anti-terrorism campaigns urging citizens to report any suspicious people and objects they…

Abstract

This chapter examines the ‘new lateral surveillance’, spearheaded by government anti-terrorism campaigns urging citizens to report any suspicious people and objects they encounter. Drawing a comparison between this and the community crime prevention (CCP) programmes of past decades, the chapter discusses the likely effectiveness of such campaigns in controlling crime and increasing security, suggests an alternative interpretation and discusses the consequences of the culture of suspicion generated by this form of surveillance. It concludes that the new lateral surveillance is a form of ‘high policing’ that is both political and dangerous in its vulnerability to errors.

Details

Surveillance and Governance: Crime Control and Beyond
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-7623-1416-4

Article
Publication date: 18 May 2011

Sam Poyser and Becky Milne

The purpose of this paper is to consider a major cause of miscarriages of justice worldwide, namely the police investigative and interviewing process.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider a major cause of miscarriages of justice worldwide, namely the police investigative and interviewing process.

Design/methodology/approach

This phenomenon is examined through the lens of psychiatric and psychological research findings and subsequent recommendations that have made a significant impact in term of changes to legislation, policy, and practice in the UK.

Findings

The paper shows that despite major improvements in this area in the UK there is still no room for complacency, as miscarriages of justice continue to occur both here and worldwide.

Research limitations/implications

This paper calls for researchers to continue to identify the weaknesses in the police investigative and interview process and to propose reform based on their scientific findings.

Originality/value

The paper highlights what remains a somewhat neglected piece of the investigative jigsaw, namely the interviewing of adult victims and witnesses, pinpointing this as an area where transparency and further research is required.

Details

The British Journal of Forensic Practice, vol. 13 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-6646

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2016

Avraham Levi

– The purpose of this paper is to explain why ROC analysis is an inappropriate replacement for probative analysis in lineup research.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explain why ROC analysis is an inappropriate replacement for probative analysis in lineup research.

Design/methodology/approach

Taking as the medical example comparing two methods to detect the presence of a malignant tumor (Mickes et al., 2012), and operationally defining ROC analysis: radiologists are shown the results from two methods. Their confidence judgments create a graph of correct identifications by mistaken ones. The author can compare the methods on radiologists’ ability to differentiate sick from healthy. Lineup researchers create two distinct lineups. In target-present lineups, witnesses differentiate between the target and the foils, not the target and the innocent suspect. In target-absent lineups, witnesses cannot even differentiate between innocent suspects and foils, having seen none.

Findings

Eyewitness ROC curves are similar to probative analysis, but provide less useful information.

Research limitations/implications

Researchers ware warned against using ROC when conducting lineup research.

Originality/value

Preventing inappropriate use of ROC analysis.

Details

Journal of Criminal Psychology, vol. 6 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2009-3829

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 April 2021

Alejandro J. Estudillo

The other-race effect shows that people are better recognizing faces from their own-race compared to other-race faces. This effect can have dramatic consequences in applied…

Abstract

Purpose

The other-race effect shows that people are better recognizing faces from their own-race compared to other-race faces. This effect can have dramatic consequences in applied scenarios whereby face identification is paramount, such as eyewitness identification. This paper aims to investigate whether observers have insights into their ability to recognize other-race faces.

Design/methodology/approach

Chinese ethnic observers performed objective measures of own- and other-race face recognition – the Cambridge Face Memory Test Chinese and the Cambridge Face Memory Test original; the PI20 – a 20-items self-reported measured of general face recognition abilities; and the ORE20 – a new developed 20-items self-reported measure of other-race face recognition.

Findings

Recognition of own-race faces was better compared to other-race faces. This effect was also evident at a phenomenological level, as observers reported to be worse recognizing other-race faces compared to own-race faces. Additionally, although a moderate correlation was found between own-race face recognition abilities and the PI20, individual differences in the recognition of other-race faces was only poorly associated with observers’ scores in the ORE20.

Research limitations/implications

These results suggest that observers’ insights to recognize faces are more consistent and reliable for own-race faces.

Practical implications

Self-reported measures of other-race recognition could produce misleading results. Thus, when evaluating eyewitness’ accuracy identifying other-race faces, objective measures should be used.

Originality/value

In contrast to own race recognition, people have very limited insights into their recognition abilities for other race faces.

Details

Journal of Criminal Psychology, vol. 11 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2009-3829

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 November 2015

Charlie D. Frowd, William B. Erickson, James M. Lampinen, Faye C. Skelton, Alex H. McIntyre and Peter J.B. Hancock

The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of seven variables that emerge from forensic research on facial-composite construction and naming using contemporary police…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of seven variables that emerge from forensic research on facial-composite construction and naming using contemporary police systems: EvoFIT, Feature and Sketch.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper involves regression- and meta-analyses on composite-naming data from 23 studies that have followed procedures used by police practitioners for forensic face construction. The corpus for analyses contains 6,464 individual naming responses from 1,069 participants in 41 experimental conditions.

Findings

The analyses reveal that composites constructed from the holistic EvoFIT system were over four-times more identifiable than composites from “Feature” (E-FIT and PRO-fit) and Sketch systems; Sketch was somewhat more effective than Feature systems. EvoFIT was more effective when internal features were created before rather than after selecting hair and the other (blurred) external features. Adding questions about the global appearance of the face (as part of the holistic-cognitive interview (H-CI)) gives a valuable improvement in naming over the standard face-recall cognitive interview (CI) for all three system types tested. The analysis also confirmed that composites were considerably less effective when constructed from a long (one to two days) compared with a short (0-3.5 hours) retention interval.

Practical implications

Variables were assessed that are of importance to forensic practitioners who construct composites with witnesses and victims of crime.

Originality/value

Using a large corpus of forensically-relevant data, the main result is that EvoFIT using the internal-features method of construction is superior; an H-CI administered prior to face construction is also advantageous (cf. face-recall CI) for EvoFIT as well as for two further contrasting production systems.

Details

Journal of Forensic Practice, vol. 17 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-8794

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 April 2020

Bryanna Fox, Lauren N. Miley, Scott Allen, Jordan Boness, Cassandra Dodge, Norair Khachatryan, MacKenzie Lyle, Sean McKinley, Jeff Peake and Maria Rozo

The purpose of this study is to outline the specific details and lessons learned during a cold case collaborative effort, which granted graduate students and a professor from the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to outline the specific details and lessons learned during a cold case collaborative effort, which granted graduate students and a professor from the University of South Florida the opportunity to assist Pasco Sheriff’s Office in the investigation of a cold case homicide.

Methodology

The collaboration between law enforcement and academics is a new and emerging strategy to investigate cold cases and identify the elusive offenders who committed these crimes. Such collaboration aids law enforcement by obtaining a force multiplier for investigative resources, accessing cutting-edge evidence-based research and cultivating innovative approaches to their work. For academics, such collaboration allows the unique opportunity to engage in translational criminology, which is an important and increasingly encouraged aspect of the field.

Findings

In this paper, the authors provide an overview of the process used to study this cold case as part of an experiential academic course, provide evidence-based research findings relevant to cold case investigations and outline the steps for others to replicate the efforts.

Originality/value

The authors describe in detail the process used to “work” the cold case, academic research that the authors found useful in understanding and investigating cold cases, important lessons learned and advice for future academics and practitioners who undertake an incredible collaborative effort such as this.

Details

Journal of Criminal Psychology, vol. 10 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2009-3829

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 September 2013

Vincent Egan, Nicola Gilzeane and Maria Viskaduraki

Strategic race‐blindness (purposely avoiding mention of a target's ethnicity to appear unprejudiced) potentially hinders eyewitness testimony.

Abstract

Purpose

Strategic race‐blindness (purposely avoiding mention of a target's ethnicity to appear unprejudiced) potentially hinders eyewitness testimony.

Design/methodology/approach

The current study examined whether participant and interviewer race affected the recollection of black, white or Western Asian individuals, where it was indicated the targets were criminal or not. Data were gathered using a cognitive interview‐type methodology whereby stimulus questioning was open, rather than prompted. After a short interval participants spontaneously described the targets and the point at which race was used as a descriptor was noted.

Findings

There was a clear effect of differential race mentioning in free recall by participants. However, multi‐level ordinal logistic regression found neither race of the interviewer nor race of the participant (or their interaction) influenced the mentioning of the race of the face in the photograph. This remained irrespective of the guilt of the person in the stimulus picture.

Originality /value

Extending the paradigm to persons of Western Asian heritage enabled strategic race bias to be considered in the context of persons sometimes regarded as being sympathetic to terrorism. Gathering information using the cognitive interview makes out study closer to the process by which the police in the UK are trained to gather information.

Details

Journal of Criminal Psychology, vol. 3 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2009-3829

Keywords

1 – 10 of 246