Police Lineup Reform Comes to Chicago
Chicago is embarking on a pilot project to reform police lineups. Lineups will now use double-blind testing--meaning the officer won't know which of the persons in the lineup is the one suspected of committing the crime. The second big change is that lineups will be conducted sequentially--the witness will only view one person or photo at a time.
Both of these measures have been shown to reduce the error rate in eyewitness identifications. If every jurisidiction would adopt these reforms, and require mandatory taping of interrogations, the wrongful conviction rate would tumble.
Police should be encouraged to seek these changes in their departments. If the wrong man is in prison, the guilty one is still out there roaming, ready to strike again.
< A Life Begun on Death Row | Congress Considering New Mandatory Miniumum Bill > |