Final answer:
To identify a suspect and prove a case in a situation where evidence is scarce, police can employ eyewitness testimony, psychological strategies like the prisoner's dilemma, and modern forensic techniques. Improved interrogation practices and witness handling methodologies such as blind photo lineups are also used to ensure reliability and reduce suggestibility.
Step-by-step explanation:
Identification and Prosecution with Limited Evidence
When police officers suspect individuals of committing a robbery, but lack abundant evidence, several techniques are employed to identify the perpetrator. Eyewitness identification and testimony play critical roles in the prosecution of criminals, though they can be fraught with issues such as suggestibility and faulty memory. The police might separate the suspects and use a strategy that encourages one to inform on the other, which can potentially reveal the actual culprit. This psychological tactic is related to the 'prisoner's dilemma' in political science. Additionally, changes have been made to police interview practices to decrease the influence of suggestibility on witnesses. Neutral questioning and blind photo lineups where the administrator doesn't know the suspect aim to reduce bias and accidental misidentification.
To amass evidence in a case with limited direct evidence, strategies like forensic analysis, scrutinizing the suspects' alibis, and using technology to track the suspects' movements before and after the crime, can be vital. These methods collectively help to build a case, even in the absence of abundant evidence.
Improvement in Evidence Collection and Interpretation
Advancements in forensic science and improved protocols in witness handling have also been instrumental. Like detective work in mystery solving or hypothesis testing in chemistry, analyzing available clues and reconstructing events lead to a theory of how the crime was perpetrated. These practices, developed through social science research and legal precedents, aim to increase the accuracy and reliability of criminal identification, reducing the chances of wrongful convictions.