Difference between revisions of "Showups, Lineups, and Photo Arrays"

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==Composite Sketch==
 
==Composite Sketch==
  
Inaccurate information from outside an eyewitness's memory can also taint development of a composite. As with photo arrays, live lineups, and showups, composites can be compromised if the witness's description relies on information learned from external sources after the crime or if the person administering the procedure either unintentionally supplies the witness with information or unintentionally incorporates outside knowledge of the case into the production of the composite. For this reason, when a composite is used, double-blind concepts & principles in which both the witness and the person making the composite are unaware of external information about the case may be helpful. It may not be feasible to conduct a completely double-blind procedure for a variety of reasons, in which case witnesses should be told to rely on their independent recollection of the event - not information learned from other sources - and administrators must be mindful of any natural tendency to incorporate prior knowledge into the process.
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Inaccurate information from outside an eyewitness' memory can also taint development of a composite. As with photo arrays, live lineups, and showups, composites can be compromised if the witness' description relies on information learned from external sources after the crime or if the person administering the procedure either unintentionally supplies the witness with information or unintentionally incorporates outside knowledge of the case into the production of the composite. For this reason, when a composite is used, double-blind concepts and principles in which both the witness and the person making the composite are unaware of external information about the case may be helpful. It may not be feasible to conduct a completely double-blind procedure for a variety of reasons, in which case witnesses should be told to rely on their independent recollection of the event - not information learned from other sources - and administrators must be mindful of any natural tendency to incorporate prior knowledge into the process.
  
 
The case of Charles T. Dubbs exemplifies another problem inherent in composite sketches:
 
The case of Charles T. Dubbs exemplifies another problem inherent in composite sketches:

Revision as of 13:02, 27 July 2010