2019 Report of the Third Circuit Task Force on Eyewitness Identifications 2019 REPORT OF THE THIRD CIRCUIT TASK FORCE ON EYEWITNESS IDENTIFICATIONS THIRD CIRCUIT TASK FORCE ON EYEWITNESS IDENTIFICATIONS Hon. Theodore A. McKee, Co-Chair Hon. Mitchell S. Goldberg, Co-Chair U.S. Court of Appeals U.S. District Court for the Third Circuit for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Dr. Amanda Bergold Robert F. Kravetz Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Assistant Professor of Law Marist College at the Duquesne University School of Law; Hon. Cathy Bissoon Special Assistant United States Attorney for U.S. District Court the District of Delaware for the Western District of Pennsylvania Hon. Wilma A. Lewis, Chief Judge William G. Brooks, III U.S. District Court Chief of Police for the District of the Virgin Islands at the Norwood Police Department Hon. L. Felipe Restrepo Robert Czepiel, Jr. U.S. Court of Appeals Supervising Deputy Attorney General for for the Third Circuit the State of New Jersey Hon. Timothy R. Rice Jules Epstein U.S. District Court Professor of Law for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania at the Temple University Beasley School of Law Hon. Jerome B. Simandle U.S. District Court John Hollway for the District of New Jersey Executive Director of the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice at the Hon. Patty Shwartz University of Pennsylvania Carey Law U.S. Court of Appeals School for the Third Circuit Abigail Horn James V. Wade Assistant Federal Public Defender Former Federal Public Defender for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for the Middle District of Pennsylvania Hon. Yvette Kane Christian Zajac U.S. District Court Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania at the Federal Bureau of Investigation TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................... 5 DISCLAIMER .................................................................................................................... 7 I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 8 A. Preface: The Creation, Composition, and Purview of the Task Force ....................................................................................... 8 B. Expert Review and Intra-Task Force Dialogue ......................................... 9 C. Background and Context ......................................................................... 10 D. The Focus of this Report ......................................................................... 12 II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................. 13 A. Basic Science of Perception and Memory ............................................... 13 B. System Variables ..................................................................................... 13 1. “Double-Blind” Administration ........................................................ 14 2. Filler and Photograph Selection for Lineups and Photo Arrays ............................................................................... 14 3. Show-Ups or Field Identifications .................................................... 15 4. Pre-Identification Instructions for Show-Ups, Lineups, and Photo Arrays ................................................................ 15 5. Confidence Statements and Post-Identification Feedback ................ 16 6. Multiple Identification Procedures with the Same Witness .............. 17 7. Exposure to Other Witnesses and to Media Accounts ...................... 17 8. Interviewing and Leading Questions ................................................. 17 9. Mug-Shot Searching ......................................................................... 18 10. Composites and Sketches .................................................................. 18 11. Single Photo ...................................................................................... 18 12. Video Recording Identification Procedures ...................................... 19 13. Written Policies ................................................................................ 19 14. Training ............................................................................................ 19 C. Estimator Variables ................................................................................. 19 1. Weapon Focus ................................................................................... 20 2. Stress and Fear .................................................................................. 20 3. Cross-Race Effect (or Own-Race Bias)............................................. 20 4. Age ................................................................................................... 21 5. Exposure Duration ............................................................................ 21 6. Distance ............................................................................................ 21 7. Lighting Conditions .......................................................................... 22 8. Disguises and Other Clothing ........................................................... 22 9. Retention Interval .............................................................................. 22 10. Changes in Appearance .................................................................... 22 D. Continuing Education Recommendations ................................................ 22 1 2 2019 THIRD CIRCUIT EYEWITNESS IDENTIFICATION REPORT E. Jury Instruction Recommendations ......................................................... 23 F. Summary of Best Practices Recommendations ........................................ 23 G. Conclusion of Executive Summary .......................................................... 24 III. BASIC SCIENCE OF PERCEPTION AND MEMORY ........................................................ 25 IV. SYSTEM VARIABLES AND BEST PRACTICES RECOMMENDATIONS ............................ 28 A. “Blind” Administration ........................................................................... 28 1. Scientific Conclusions ....................................................................... 28 2. Best Practices Recommendations ...................................................... 31 3. Minority View ................................................................................... 34 B. Filler and Photograph Selection for Lineups and Photo Arrays ............. 35 1. Scientific Conclusions ....................................................................... 35 2. Best Practices Recommendations ...................................................... 38 3. Minority View ................................................................................... 42 C. Show-Ups or Field Identifications ........................................................... 42 1. Scientific Conclusions ....................................................................... 42 2. Best Practices Recommendations ...................................................... 44 D. Pre-Identification Instructions for Show-Ups, Lineups, and Photo Arrays ...................................................................... 47 1. Scientific Conclusions ....................................................................... 47 2. Best Practices Recommendations ...................................................... 49 3. Minority View ................................................................................... 51 E. Pre-Identification Suggestivity, Post-Identification Feedback, and Confidence Statements .................................................... 54 1. Scientific Conclusions ....................................................................... 54 a. Pre-Identification Suggestivity and Post-Identification Feedback .................................................... 54 b. Initial Confidence and a Correlation with Accuracy................. 55 c. Time-of-Trial Confidence .......................................................... 58 2. Best Practices Recommendations ...................................................... 59 F. Multiple Identification Procedures with the Same Witness ..................... 61 1. Scientific Conclusions ....................................................................... 61 2. Best Practices Recommendations ...................................................... 62 G. Exposure to Other Witnesses and to Media Accounts ............................. 63 1. Scientific Conclusions ....................................................................... 63 2. Best Practices Recommendations ...................................................... 64 H. Interviewing and Leading Questions ....................................................... 66 1. Scientific Conclusions ....................................................................... 66 2. Best Practices Recommendations ...................................................... 67 I. Mug-Shot Searching ................................................................................ 68 1. Scientific Conclusions ....................................................................... 68 2. Best Practices Recommendations ...................................................... 69 J. Composites and Sketches ......................................................................... 70 1. Scientific Conclusions ......................................................................