The Effects of Weapons on Eyewitness Identifications: Photospread Selections in Robbery Investigations

• In Event: Eyewitness Identification Procedures: Theory, Reform, Effects, and Findings from a Randomized Field Experiment

Abstract

Eyewitness identifications have received recent policy attention because of the role of misidentifications in wrongful convictions. Among the factors that influence eyewitness accuracy in laboratory research is the weapon focus effect, or the tendency for witnesses to be less able to identify a suspect if they are exposed to a weapon during the offense. This analysis examines the role of weapon presence on the identification results of photospreads in combination with other factors shown to influence eyewitness accuracy, such as cross-race identifications, viewing opportunity during the offense, delay between the offense and identification procedure, and age difference between suspects and witnesses.

Authors

• Stryker Swindle, Sam Houston State University

• William (Bill) Wells, Sam Houston State University