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Project Summary

Difficulty	8
Time required	Average (about one week)
Material Availability	Readily available
Cost	Very Low (under $20)

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Objective

The purpose of this project is to find the most accurate type of criminal identification lineup.

Introduction

There is a significant amount of controversy surrounding the accuracy of eyewitness identifications used in the courtroom. Lineups are frequently used to capture witness testimony, however, they also raise a number of questions about the accuracy of the criminal identification process. This project will test one part of the identification process, the lineup, to determine the level of accuracy of eyewitness identification using four different lineup techniques.

Terms, Concepts and Questions to Start Background Research

• You should understand the different types of lineups used by crime investigators: sequential lineup, sequential lineup field, simultaneous lineup, simultaneous lineup field.
• You should research current findings on eyewitness accuracy.

Bibliography

You will first need to understand the differences between types of lineups and some of the pros and cons of each method:

• http://www.nysda.org/Hot_Topics/Eyewitness_Evidence/EyewitnessAccuracyRates.pdf
• http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug04/accuracy.html
• http://www.psychology.iastate.edu/faculty/gwells/Youaskedaboutsequential.htm

The US Department of Justice has created a detailed guide to help law enforcement officials accurately collect eye witness evidence. This guide also has a good set of instructions on how to construct a fair lineup and how to collect a statement from an eye witness:
http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/nij/178240.pdf

Materials and Equipment

• Actors for crime scene
• Actors/photos for sample lineups
• Video camera
• Test subjects
• Surveys

Experimental Procedure

There are two ways to execute this experiment: live or a video taped version of the crime. Ideally you will do the live version, but if resources prevent you from doing this, you can use the video tape version as an alternative.

Procedures:

• Write a script for a crime and gather a group of actors together to take part in the event. (Taped version: Film the scence and also film the lineups that you will be showing to the subjects).
• Gather your test subjects. An easy way to get test subjects is to ask teachers if you can conduct the test in their class. Make sure you pick classes that do not have the same students so no one will see this "event" twice.
• Send the actors into each class to put on their "show". (Taped version: show the "crime video" to the subjects.)
• Two days later, go back to each of the classes with a lineup. Note, each class should only view one of the four lineups: simultaneous, simultaneous/field, sequential, and sequential/field. (Taped version: show the subjects the tapes of the lineups.)
• Have each student note down on a piece of paper the number of the suspect they believe commited the crime.
• Analyze the responses to determine which lineup method was the most accurate in identifying the true criminal.

Variations

The Department of Justice Guide to collecting eye witness evidence has a detailed plan on how to handle eye witness evidence. While more time consuming, it would be interesting to test if there is a difference in accuracy between the simple follow up survey method (mentioned above) and the more detailed follow up recommended by the Department of Justice.

Another option would be to ask eyewitnesses to use other characteristics for identification (such as voice or body type).

• For more science project ideas in this area of science, see Sociology Project Ideas.

Last edit date: 2006-02-22 01:02:24

Career Focus

If you like this project, you might want to think about career opportunities in Sociology.

Any time there is more than one person in a room, there is potential for a social interaction to occur or for a group to form. Sociologists study these interactions—how and why groups and societies form, and how outside events like health issues, technology, and crime affect both the societies and the individuals. If you already like to think about how people interact as individuals and in groups, then you're thinking like a sociologist! Learn more about this career: Sociologist.