NCJ Number
159204
Journal
Law and Human Behavior Volume: 19 Issue: 6 Dated: (December 1995) Pages: 649-661
Date Published
1995
Length
13 pages
Annotation
A new system for conducting a mugshot search was tested three times to determine whether it would improve the effectiveness of these efforts at suspect identification.
Abstract
The research was prompted by the awareness that mugshot searches fail because the witness must be shown too many photographs. Current methods to reduce the number rely too heavily on verbal reports of individual features. The new system augments the presently used tools by having the witness choose photographs that are subjectivity similar to the person being sought. Each photo thus chosen increases the ranging of every photo in the album that is similar to it, as determined by a similarity network in which the album photos are embedded. Because the ranking of the target itself is usually increased by this method, it is soon displayed. The research participants were 25 men and 25 women serving at the Israel police national headquarters. The tests used familiar targets, an incidental one, and unfamiliar videotaped ones. Results revealed that 76-84 percent of the mock witnesses reached the target, having viewed many times fewer photos than they would if they had simply leafed through photos as is commonly done. Footnotes and 33 references (Author abstract modified)