Identification Of Culprit Research Articles

On the possible advantages of combining small lineups with instructions that discourage guessing-based selection

The primary argument for including large numbers of known-to-be innocent fillers in lineups is that guessing-based selections are dispersed among a large number of lineup members, leading to low innocent-suspect identification rates. However, a recent study using the two-high threshold eyewitness identification model has demonstrated advantages of smaller lineups at the level of the processes underlying the observable responses. Participants were more likely to detect the presence of the culprit and less likely to select lineup members based on guessing in smaller than in larger lineups. Nonetheless, at the level of observable responses, the rate of innocent-suspect identifications was higher in smaller compared to larger lineups due to the decreased dispersion of guessing-based selections among the lineup members. To address this issue, we combined smaller lineups with lineup instructions insinuating that the culprit was unlikely to be in the lineup. The goal was to achieve a particularly low rate of guessing-based selections. These lineups were compared to larger lineups with neutral instructions. In two experiments, culprit-presence detection occurred with a higher probability in smaller compared to larger lineups. Furthermore, instructions insinuating that the culprit was unlikely to be in the lineup reduced guessing-based selection compared to neutral instructions. At the level of observable responses, the innocent-suspect identification rate did not differ between smaller lineups with low-culprit-probability instructions and larger lineups with neutral instructions. The rate of culprit identifications was higher in smaller lineups with low-culprit-probability instructions than in larger lineups with neutral instructions.

The Arctic Council, the International Maritime Organization, and the Polar Code

Numerous scientific investigations and multilateral efforts have contributed to our understanding of environmental challenges and how to deal with them; yet little effective and coordinated action has been taken. We review existing literature on climate clubs and on international society in the English School of international relations in order to assess how environmental and security risks can result in the formation of international institutions that seek to transcend the free-rider problem. We then ask what factors explain the emergence of the International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (Polar Code) adopted in 2014, and how powerful states worked through the Arctic Council (AC) and International Maritime Organization (IMO) to establish it. We identify three parameters with respect to the shipping industry and Arctic region that made this advance possible at the nexus of environment and security: the identification of culprits, great power interest, and the socio-economic context. We find a degree of success even when substantive differences exist both inside and outside of the region and industry. Thus, the case study points to important applications of these parameters for future environmental peacebuilding.

A validation of the two-high threshold eyewitness identification model by reanalyzing published data

The two-high threshold (2-HT) eyewitness identification model serves as a new measurement tool to measure the latent cognitive processes underlying eyewitness identification performance. By simultaneously taking into account correct culprit identifications, false innocent-suspect identifications, false filler identifications in culprit-present and culprit-absent lineups as well as correct and false lineup rejections, the model capitalizes on the full range of data categories that are observed when measuring eyewitness identification performance. Thereby, the model is able to shed light on detection-based and non-detection-based processes underlying eyewitness identification performance. Specifically, the model incorporates parameters for the detection of culprit presence and absence, biased selection of the suspect and guessing-based selection among the lineup members. Here, we provide evidence of the validity of each of the four model parameters by applying the model to eight published data sets. The data sets come from studies with experimental manipulations that target one of the underlying processes specified by the model. Manipulations of encoding difficulty, lineup fairness and pre-lineup instructions were sensitively reflected in the parameters reflecting culprit-presence detection, biased selection and guessing-based selection, respectively. Manipulations designed to facilitate the rejection of culprit-absent lineups affected the parameter for culprit-absence detection. The reanalyses of published results thus suggest that the parameters sensitively reflect the manipulations of the processes they were designed to measure, providing support of the validity of the 2-HT eyewitness identification model.

Providing witnesses with an option to say "I'm not sure" to a showup neither improves classification performance nor the reliability of suspect identifications.

Objective: Past research with one-person showup identification procedures suggests that providing witnesses with an explicit option to opt-out reduces innocent-suspect identifications without reducing culprit identifications (Weber & Perfect, 2012). This finding suggests that improving performance from identification procedures might be as simple as providing witnesses with the option to opt-out from deciding. We examined whether providing witnesses with an option to say "not sure" improved performance from showup procedures. Hypotheses: We predicted that participants would opt-out more when given a poor view. We also predicted that classification performance would be better for those who had option to opt-out, and this improvement would be more pronounced for those who had a poor view. Finally, we predicted that the opt-out option would reduce more low-confidence than high-confidence decisions. Method: We randomly assigned Amazon Mechanical Turk Workers (Experiment 1A: N = 2,003, average age = 36.90 [SD = 11.67], 57.86% female) and university students (Experiment 1B: N = 721, average age = 19.91 (SD = 3.99), 69.72% female) to a 2 (culprit: present, absent) × 2 (memory strength: strong, weak) × 2 (not sure option: yes, no) between-participants design. We manipulated memory strength by giving witnesses either a clear or degraded view of the encoding video. After watching the encoding video, participants completed a 10-min filler task and were then presented with a showup procedure. Results: Participants who were given a poor view were more likely to opt-out than were participants who were given a clear view. Participants who were given the option to respond not sure reported higher confidence in their decisions. However, the not sure option did not improve classification performance. Conclusion: Contrary to our prediction, we found no evidence that an opt-out option improves performance from a showup procedure, which is consistent with past research examining opt-out options with lineup procedures. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Bancos de Perfis Genéticos Criminais no Brasil: Histórico e Evolução

A impunidade tem despontado como um dos principais motivos do aumento da criminalidade no Brasil, principalmente devido à dificuldade dos processos investigativos em apontar a autoria de delitos. A indisponibilidade e a falta de transparência de dados da segurança pública e a alta taxa de subnotificação nos registros oficiais são alguns entraves que dificultam a avaliação da eficiência das políticas de segurança pública. Para o agravamento da situação, amostras coletadas em locais de crime pela Perícia Criminal podem não ser prontamente armazenadas nos bancos de DNA forense, ou quando o são, na maioria das vezes, não se obtém perfil genético compatível com os já cadastrados, diminuindo, assim, os índices nacionais de elucidação de autoria dos crimes. Dessa forma, o objetivo do artigo é apresentar um histórico sobre a implementação e evolução dos bancos de dados de perfis genéticos no Brasil. O processo de construção do banco de dados de DNA forense demonstra um avanço na qualidade das investigações policiais, encaixando-se perfeitamente como meio de prova no processo penal, somando-se às demais evidências necessárias à persecução penal. As técnicas de identificação baseadas na análise do DNA estão cada vez mais sendo empregadas no Brasil em amostras relacionadas a vestígios biológicos coletados em locais de crime, porém longe do patamar alcançado em países como os EUA e Reino Unido, que possuem milhões de perfis genéticos em seus bancos de dados, o que reflete nos seus altos índices de elucidação de crimes.

Why do Mistaken Identification Rates Increase When Either Witnessing or Testing Conditions get Worse?

I examined why mistaken identifications increase when either witnessing or testing conditions get worse. In Experiment 1 (N = 633), participants watched either a clear or degraded version of a simulated crime. In Experiment 2 (N = 1266), all participants watched the same version of the crime, but were then randomly assigned to either a clear or noise-degraded lineup. After indicating which lineup member best matched their memory for the culprit, participants indicated how well that lineup member matched their memory for the culprit. Degraded conditions led to fewer culprit identifications from present lineups and more mistaken identifications from absent lineups. Degrading witnessing/testing conditions resulted in lower memory ratings for the culprit, but memory ratings for the best-matching innocent person were statistically equivalent under clear and degraded conditions. These results suggest that the reason mistaken identifications increase when witnessing/testing conditions get worse is because witnesses lower their criterion for making an affirmative identification.

Fair Forensic-Object Lineups Are Superior to Forensic-Object Showups

When presenting a suspect to a witness for an identification attempt, fair lineups are superior to one-person showups. Relative to showups, fair lineups decrease innocent-suspect identifications to a greater extent than culprit identifications ( Steblay et al., 2003 ). We examined whether the lineup advantage extends from facial identification to forensic-object identification. Participants (N = 1906) watched a short video of a car theft and then completed two culprit-present or culprit-absent showups or lineups. Participants first attempted to identify the culprit from the video and then attempted to identify the vehicle from the video. Forensic-object lineups were superior to forensic-object showups to the extent that the cost of an innocent-suspect identification exceeded the cost of a missed culprit identification or to the extent that the base rate of culprit presence was low. Importantly, we are referring to actual costs and base rates in the real world rather than to methods of manipulating witness decision criteria (see Clark, 2012 for a similar approach). Finally, confidence discriminated between accurate and inaccurate suspect identifications for forensic-object lineups, but not for forensic-object showups.

Mistaken eyewitness identification rates increase when either witnessing or testing conditions get worse.

We examined how giving eyewitnesses a weak recognition experience impacts their identification decisions. In 2 experiments we forced a weak recognition experience for lineups by impairing either encoding or retrieval conditions. In Experiment 1 (n = 245), undergraduate participants were randomly assigned to watch either a clear or a degraded culprit video and then viewed either a culprit-present or culprit-removed lineup identification procedure. In Experiment 2 (n = 227), all participants watched the same clear culprit video but were then randomly assigned to either view a clear or noise-degraded lineup procedure. Half of the participants viewed a culprit-present lineup procedure and the remaining participants viewed a culprit-removed lineup procedure. Not surprisingly, degrading either encoding or retrieval conditions led to a sharp drop in culprit identifications. Critically, and as predicted, degrading either encoding or retrieval conditions also led to a sharp increase in the identification of innocent persons. These results suggest that when a lineup procedure gives a witness a weak match-to-memory experience, the witness will lower her criterion for making an affirmative identification decision. This pattern of results is troubling because it suggests that witnesses who encounter lineups that do not include the culprit might have a tendency to use a lower criterion for identification than do witnesses who encounter lineups that actually include the culprit. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Technical Methodology for Identification of Criminals

Background/Objectives: This paper plans to locate the effective strategy to characterize the first implications that police photos as a methods for identification of culprits had. Methods/Statistical analysis: To study this goal, it doesn't matter the social method, notwithstanding the way that this method made it feasible for unexploited ranges to be incorporated interestingly into the historical backdrop of photography. The social strategy did not adequately investigate every one of the levels of importance of these photos. Rather, this paper is fond of saying a little in regards to what we call the specialized technique approach or physical approach. Findings: To locate the productive approach, this review depended on the specialized strategy, that is, it continued scrutinizing the very rule of photography. As such, the two basic physical characteristics of photos, which consist of the optical attributes of the lens and the chemical properties of the photosensitive surface. The policeman uses such elements of photography, without turning to hypothetical information of the properties of photography. It is our part to clarify how such uses are made conceivable by the technical standards of photography. By technical approach, it doesn't just mean scrutinizing the way photography functions, but it likewise implies an investigation into the way the human visual discerning framework works. Asking into the implication of legal photography implies endeavoring to comprehend the first importance the innovator of police photography and its consequent clients gave it. At that point, it implies asking all the more profoundly into the mechanical, and physical standards of photography that make conceivable the numerous capacities utilized by the police, and also asking into the way our visual insightful framework works. Improvements/Applications: It is just a felt that begins from an investigation into the original circumstance of photos that will keep us from making improper utilizations of our current knowledge.

The Two Faces of Conflict in Organizational Learning: Evidence from Pharmaceutical Product Recalls

This study investigates whether organizations learn more from small or large failures and under what conditions they learn more or less from failures. Drawing on research on motivation and opportunity to learn from failure, we suggest that organizations learn more from small failures than from large failures. We also predict that learning from failures is weaker as internal conflict increases because internal conflict is more likely to accentuate accountability and dampen the flow and exchange of information and experience. Finally, we predict that learning from failures is stronger when external conflict is high because high external conflict is less likely to emphasize identification of culprits, but instead is more likely to promote the internal cohesion needed for effective learning. We examine these issues in the context of pharmaceutical firms¡¯ learning from minor versus major recalls of pharmaceutical products, small and large failures respectively, using data on all recalls experienced by pharmaceutical firms that sold pharmaceutical products in the United States over an 11-year period from 2004 to 2014. We find that small failures are more beneficial to learning (measured as a reduction in subsequent recalls) than large failures. Also, we find that the learning effect is weaker as internal conflict increases. On the other hand, the learning effect is stronger when external conflict is high. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings. Key words: organizational learning, small failures, large failures, internal conflict, external conflict, pharmaceutical product recalls

Eyewitness identification performance on showups improves with an additional-opportunities instruction: Evidence for present-absent criteria discrepancy.

We tested the proposition that when eyewitnesses find it difficult to recognize a suspect (as in a culprit-absent showup), eyewitnesses accept a weaker match to memory for making an identification. We tie this proposition to the basic recognition memory literature, which shows people use lower decision criteria when recognition is made difficult so as to not miss their chance of getting a hit on the target. We randomly assigned participant-witnesses (N = 610) to a condition in which they were told that if they did not believe the suspect was the culprit, they would have additional opportunities to make an identification later (additional-opportunities instruction). We fully crossed this instruction with the standard admonition (i.e., the culprit may or may not be present) and with the presence or absence of the culprit in a showup identification procedure. The standard admonition had no impact on eyewitness decision-making; however, the additional-opportunities instruction reduced innocent-suspect identifications (from 33% to 15%) to a greater extent than culprit identifications (57% to 51%). The additional-opportunities instruction yielded a better tradeoff between culprit and innocent-suspect identifications as indicated by binary logistic regression and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analyses. (PsycINFO Database Record

An examination of showups conducted by law enforcement using a field-simulation paradigm.

While there is a growing body of research examining the relatively cold, cognitive decision-making components of showups, few attempts have been made to capture the hot affective components of showups that are thought to exacerbate the suggestiveness of the procedure. In 3 simulated-field experiments, we partnered with law enforcement to examine how participants who were led to believe they were involved in an actual criminal investigation (Field-simulation condition) differed from participants who knew they were not part of an actual investigation (Lab-simulation condition). We staged crimes for both conditions, but in the field-simulation condition, law enforcement personnel carried out mock investigations that culminated with a live showup. In Experiment 1 (N = 321), which did not include a culprit-present condition, the field-simulation condition increased innocent suspect identifications. The standard showup admonition decreased innocent suspect identifications, but only for dissimilar innocent suspects. Experiment 2 (N = 196) added a culprit-present condition and found that the field-simulation condition increased innocent suspect and culprit identifications to a similar extent. Experiment 3 (N = 367) replicated the findings of Experiment 2 and examined the impact of admonishing eyewitnesses that if they did not believe the suspect was the culprit, they might have additional opportunities to make an identification. Confidence-accuracy calibration analyses revealed that confidence discriminated accurate from inaccurate identifications in the field, but not in the lab; however, eyewitnesses who made identifications in the field were overconfident and across all levels of confidence were less likely to be correct than eyewitnesses who made identifications in the lab.

КВАЛИФИКАЦИЯ ПРЕСТУПЛЕНИЙ ПО МОТИВУ И ЦЕЛИ

One of the issues of activities of law enforcement officials is the practice of unjustified imputation of crimes with aggravating circumstances or, conversely, the imputation of crimes without such features when they are actually available in cases where the role of aggravating circumstances is played by the motive and purpose of the act. The reasons for such errors are: 1) wrong understanding of the meanings of motive, purpose; 2) wrong interpretation of norms of the Special part of the criminal code providing for specific offences with certain motives and purposes; 3) incorrect identification of culprit’s motive and purpose in committing the crime with the motive and purpose, assigned by a specific offence. The article reveals the understanding of the motive and purpose of having criminally- legal value, as well as the specific rules of qualification of criminal acts on the relevant elements of the subjective side of the corpus delicti. In the classification of crimes it is necessary to establish what motive or purpose was crucial, compared to other driving forces, and thus determined the whole course of the volitional process of the relevant crime. In the summary criminal legal evaluation of the crime it is necessary to consider only the dominant motive or purpose. If the guilty person doubts what motive or purpose were of decisive value for him and thus determined his behavior, or when each of the established motives or purposes were equally important to the perpetrator, in the absence of which the crime would not be committed, the qualification of the criminal acts needs considering each of these motives or purposes.

APPLICATION OF MOLECULAR MARKERS IN FORENSIC BOTANY

Molecular markers based on DNA sequence have become a remarkable tool in the Forensic Sciences for the identification of culprits. Now a day’s majority of criminal cases are being solved based on DNA evidence from different biological materials like blood, boon, semen, nails with skin piece, hair with hair follicle, spores and any plant part etc. available at the scene of crime. Presently, DNA evidence from plants have also played an important role in solving forensic cases and DNA from any plant part found at the site of incidence can be used to locate the murderers, kidnapers, victims or in arresting drug traffickers. All molecular markers are not useful in Forensic Botany, only some molecular markers are used for plant DNA evidence which includes DNA barcoding, RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA), RFLP (Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism), AFLP (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism), SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) and Microsatellites, but the most widely used molecular marker for plant evident is SSR (Simple Sequence Repeats) due to its high reproducibility with great discrimination power and error free results from small piece of evidence.

A Bayesian analysis on the (dis)utility of iterative-showup procedures: The moderating impact of prior probabilities.

A showup is an identification procedure in which a lone suspect is presented to the eyewitness for an identification attempt. Showups are commonly used when law enforcement personnel locate a suspect near the scene of a crime in both time and space but lack probable cause to make an arrest. If an eyewitness rejects a suspect from a showup, law enforcement personnel might find another suspect and run another showup. Indeed, law enforcement personnel might go through several iterations of finding suspects and running showups with the same eyewitness. We label this phenomenon the iterative-showup procedure. The consequence of this procedure is that innocent suspect identifications increase disproportionately to culprit identifications. This happens because there is only one culprit, but a seemingly endless supply of innocent suspects. We apply Bayesian modeling to single- and iterative-showup procedures to demonstrate that iterative showups are almost always associated with lower probative value. We demonstrate that the prior probabilities that later suspects are the culprit are greatly constrained by the posterior probabilities that earlier suspects were the culprit. Identifications from iterative-showup procedures are of questionable reliability. We review alternative investigative strategies that police might consider in order to limit the use of iterative-showup procedures. (PsycINFO Database Record

The effects of allowing a second sequential lineup lap on choosing and probative value.

When presented with a sequential lineup, witnesses see each member of the lineup individually, essentially making a yes/no decision for each person shown. An important policy question is whether witnesses should be allowed to see an additional lap of a sequential lineup. We investigated the impact of a second lap on eyewitness decision making and on the probative value of suspect identifications. We recruited a large community sample of participants (N 393), each of whom viewed a target person before seeing a sequential lineup that did or did not include the target. A second lap was either required or optional. The group of participants who accepted the second lap were less able to discriminate between the target and the fillers and responded more conservatively in Lap 1 than the group of witnesses who declined the second lap. Responding became more lenient from Lap 1 to Lap 2. Of the participants who saw a second lap, roughly 40% changed their response, most frequently from a nonidentification to an identification. Both culprit identifications and filler identifications increased from Lap 1 to Lap 2. The probative value of suspect identifications was not significantly different whether witnesses were allowed 2 laps or 1. However, the observed effects may be moderated by a number of system and estimator variables. Further, even small changes in probative value can have very different consequences depending upon the target-absent base rate.

A view to the future: standardizing 3D-3D superimposition for identification from next generation video surveillance systems

The identification of culprits from videosurveillance systems brings about relevant problems for what concerns the reliability of comparison and quantification of the degree of match between the culprit and the suspect. The actual videosurveillance give only 2D images of the culprit, which can be compared to a 3D model of the suspect’s face in 2D-3D superimposition. However, in the next future the videosurveillance systems will provide a 3D image of the filmed persons, which may allow the operator to perform 3D-3D superimposition. This study aims at exposing a pilot study based on 10 male subjects: the face from each individual underwent two acquisitions by stereophotogrammetry. On each 3D facial model, 9 landmarks (right and left: en, ex, ch: midline: se, gn, prn) were identified by VAM® software; the acquisitions of each individual were then superimposed with the models of all the other subjects in order to reduce the distance between the corresponding points. The RMS value (Root Mean Square) between the two models was then calculated. When the two superimposed models belonged to the same individual, RMS value was in mean 1.58 mm (SD: 0.61 mm), whereas when the two models were taken from different persons, the same value was 4.54 mm (SD: 2.02 mm) with a statistically significant (p<0.0001). This pilot study shows that the judgment of identification based on 3D-3D superimposition may provide reliable results. The improvement specific methods of 3D-3D comparison may provide in the next future relevant advantages in this field of forensic anthropology.

Trends in patch-test results and allergen changes in the standard series: A Mayo Clinic 5-year retrospective review (January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2010)

Patch testing is essential for identification of culprits causing allergic contact dermatitis. We sought to identify trends and allergen changes in our standard series during 2006 to 2010, compared with our previous report (2001-2005). We conducted a retrospective review of patch-test results. A total of 3115 patients were tested with a mean of 73.0 allergens. Since our prior report, 8allergens were added to the standard series; 14 were deleted. Significantly higher rates of allergic positive reaction were documented for carba mix, 3%, and Disperse Orange 3, 1%. Rates were lower for 10 allergens: neomycin sulfate, 20%; gold sodium thiosulfate, 0.5%; hexahydro-1,3,5-tris(2-hydroxyethyl)triazine, 1%; disperse blue 124, 1%; disperse blue 106, 1%; diazolidinyl urea, 1%; hexylresorcinol, 0.25%; diazolidinyl urea, 1% aqueous; 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol, 0.25%; and lidocaine, 5%. Many final patch-test readings for many allergens were categorized as mild reactions (erythema only). Overall allergenicity and irritancy rates declined significantly since our prior report. Results were generally comparable with those in a North American Contact Dermatitis Group report from 2005 to 2006. This was a retrospective study; there is a lack of long-term follow-up. Since our previous report, our standard series composition has changed, and overall rates of allergenicity and irritancy have decreased. Notably, many final patch-test readings showed mild reactions.

Eyewitness lineups: Is the appearance-change instruction a good idea?

The Department of Justice's Guide for lineups recommends warning eyewitnesses that the culprit's appearance might have changed since the time of the crime. This appearance-change instruction (ACI) has never been empirically tested. A video crime with four culprits was viewed by 289 participants who then attempted to identify the culprits from four 6-person arrays that either included or did not include the culprit. Participants either received the ACI or not and all were warned that the culprit might or might not be in the arrays. The culprits varied in how much their appearance changed from the video to their lineup arrays, but the ACI did not improve identification decisions for any of the lineups. Collapsed over the four culprits, the ACI increased false alarms and filler identifications but did not increase culprit identifications. The ACI reduced confidence and increased response latency. Two processes that could account for these results are discussed, namely a decision criterion shift and a general increase in ecphoric similarity.

Small synthetic aperture radar satellite constellations for tracking oil spills

After a short introduction to the Totally Integrated Maritime Traffic Surveillance System concept this paper examines the key issues related to three main problems concerning oil pollution at sea: • • the early detection of accidental oil spills; • • the progress of oil spills to support containment and/or clean-up intervention; and • • the identification of culprits in the case of intentional discharges, for law enforcement purposes. The contribution made by advanced remote sensing satellite constellations, equipped with a complement of suitable instruments, is discussed for the specific test cases of the Mediterranean Basin and the North Sea. The key system features which enable an effective monitoring of both oil spills and the identification of the ships responsible for environmental damages are also discussed in some detail.