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

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract

Reforms in eyewitness identification procedures are among the best contemporary examples of evidence-based policing. Guided by decades of scientific research, these reforms have caused several states to change their policies regarding eyewitness identification procedures. Much of this research has relied on data from experiments conducted in controlled laboratory settings. The reliance on experimental data from laboratory settings has raised concerns among researchers and criminal justice practitioners about the external validity of these findings. To overcome these concerns, some scholars have called for the collection and analysis of data from field settings. These data, however, are not readily available to permit an understanding eyewitness identifications conducted during the course of investigations. This panel builds on the program of eyewitness identification research by presenting findings from field data collected in conjunction with the Houston Police Department’s Robbery Division. The panel begins with a history of theory and data used in eyewitness reform, followed by findings from field data encompassing eyewitness identification procedures administered from August 2011 to January 2012, and a randomized field experiment using data from photo spreads administered during 2013.

Sub Unit

• Area IV. Criminal Justice Policy and Practice / 39. Policing and Law Enforcement

Individual Presentations

• Evolution of Theory and Data in Eyewitness Identification Reform - Steven E. Clark, University of California, Riverside; Molly B. Moreland, University of California, Riverside

• The Nature and Results of Eyewitness Lineups Conducted by the Houston Police Department Robbery Division: August 2011 – January 2012 - Bradley A. Campbell, Sam Houston State University; Yudu Li, Sam Houston State University; Stryker Swindle, Sam Houston State University; William (Bill) Wells, Sam Houston State University

• The Effects of Weapons on Eyewitness Identifications: Photospread Selections in Robbery Investigations - Stryker Swindle, Sam Houston State University; William (Bill) Wells, Sam Houston State University

• An Experimental Test of Four Methods of Showing Photo Spreads to Witnesses During Robbery Investigations - William (Bill) Wells, Sam Houston State University

Chair

• William (Bill) Wells, Sam Houston State University