There are investigative techniques used in an investigation, including the way witnesses choose the suspect in a lineup. A lineup is a course of action performed by law enforcement personnel designed to give the witness an opportunity to identify the suspect. Identified are three different types of lineups used in identifying the person committing the crime. Physical, field and photographic are identified as the types of lineups used by law enforcement to identify the criminal.
The first type of the lineups, known as the physical lineup, effectively helps an investigation by law enforcement identify the criminal. Physical lineups are just that, physically introducing the suspects along with other similar looking people behind a glass where the witness can see all of the people introduced. Varieties of people are chosen for the lineup to stand beside the actual suspect. These participants should resemble the suspect and “resemble the same sex, race, approximate age, hair …show more content…
Supreme Court determined, in the case of United States v. Wade, 388 U.S. 218 (1967), that a lineup is a critical stage of the proceedings against the defendant and that the defendant has a right to counsel at these lineups. These are considered critical issues as false implications could lead to a mistrial or the release of a criminal. Lineups are used to identify suspects accused of committing a crime. Three types of lineups are physical, field, and photographic, all of which cause fear and stress to the witness. Physical lineups are used for the witness to pick the suspect out of a line of participants standing with the suspect. Field lineups are used in immediate circumstances at the scene of a newly committed crime where the witness is asked to identify the detained suspect. Photographic lineups allow the witness to look at a series of photographs of similar looking people to identify the suspect. All three methods are effective and have proven to help solve numerous