POLICE LINEUPS Data, Theory, and Policy

Eyewitness identification research has had a strong impact in the United States recently. A. M. Levi and R. C. L. Lindsay (2001) discussed the role of psychologists’ recommendations for lineup reform and urged that these include numerous items, however complex, rather than only a few items that are readily understood by policymakers. They focused on the recommendations of 1 article in particular (G. L. Wells et al., 1998) and argued that this article should have called for abolishing show-ups, using more lineup fillers, adding voice to lineups, and permitting witnesses to make multiple choices. In the present article, the author raises concerns about each of these 4 recommendations and defends the idea of researchers culling their recommendations to a focused set. Finally, the author describes the emerging positive impact of the Wells et al. recommendations on the reform of lineup procedures in the United States.