Which item is part of a Good Lineup Checklist?

• A. The witnesses must be allowed to see the suspect in custody
• B. No documentation of results
• C. 6 or more choices
• D. The suspect must be the only participant

Answer: (C)

A good lineup checklist emphasizes fairness and reliability by providing enough options for the witness to choose from. Having six or more choices in the lineup helps prevent bias and reduces the chance of a mistaken identification. When there are multiple fillers who resemble the witness’s description, the witness is forced to base their selection on actual recognition rather than picking out a unique or obvious feature of a single person. This makes the identification more credible and reduces the influence of the lineup’s composition on the witness.

Other elements in the list would undermine the process. If there were no documentation of results, the identification cannot be reviewed or challenged later. If the suspect were the only participant, there would be no basis for a fair comparison. And allowing witnesses to see the suspect in custody can introduce bias into the identification. The six-or-more-choices guideline specifically targets the balance between fairness and reliability in the lineup itself.