What practice helps avoid influence during eyewitness lineups?

What practice helps avoid influence during eyewitness lineups?

• A. Allow the administrator to indicate the suspect.
• B. Blind the administrator conducting the lineup to prevent influencing the witness.
• C. Inform witnesses of the identity before the lineup.
• D. Use a lineup without any instructions.

Answer: (B)

Preventing bias in eyewitness identifications by keeping the lineup administrator blind to the suspect's identity. When the person running the lineup does not know who the suspect is, they cannot give the witness subtle cues—verbal or nonverbal—that might steer the witness toward a particular choice. This helps ensure the witness’s decision is based on memory, not influence from the administrator. In best practice, a blind or double-blind lineup is used with neutral, standardized instructions to the witness. Allowing the administrator to indicate the suspect or telling the witness who to pick before the lineup introduces cues that bias the identification and undermines reliability. Clear, neutral instructions and a blind procedure support accurate, defensible identifications.

Preventing bias in eyewitness identifications by keeping the lineup administrator blind to the suspect's identity. When the person running the lineup does not know who the suspect is, they cannot give the witness subtle cues—verbal or nonverbal—that might steer the witness toward a particular choice. This helps ensure the witness’s decision is based on memory, not influence from the administrator. In best practice, a blind or double-blind lineup is used with neutral, standardized instructions to the witness. Allowing the administrator to indicate the suspect or telling the witness who to pick before the lineup introduces cues that bias the identification and undermines reliability. Clear, neutral instructions and a blind procedure support accurate, defensible identifications.