Final answer:
The three most common types of identification procedures in legal settings are lineups, showups, and in-court identification, each with unique attributes and potential for eyewitness errors which can lead to wrongful convictions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Common Types of Identification Procedures
In legal proceedings, courts often rely on eyewitness identification, which includes three common types:
Lineups – A procedure in which a witness is asked to identify a suspect from a group of people with similar physical characteristics. The goal is to minimize witnesses' mistakes by adopting more reliable practices, such as 'blind' lineups where the administrator does not know who the suspect is, reducing the chances of leading cues.
- Showups – This is a one-on-one identification procedure, usually happening close to the time of the crime, where the witness is presented with a single suspect and asked to confirm if this is the perpetrator they saw.
- In-court identification – During a trial, the witness may be asked to identify the defendant as the offender. However, the reliability of this method can be problematic due to factors like the suggestive nature of earlier identification procedures or courtroom pressures.
Eyewitness misidentification, highlighted by the Innocence Project, is a leading cause of wrongful convictions. This underscores the importance of ensuring that identification procedures are accurate and free from suggestibility. Moreover, judges may inform jurors about the possibility of misidentification and suppress unreliable eyewitness testimony.