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Supporting child witnesses during identification lineups: exploring the effectiveness of Registered Intermediaries

  • Rachel Wilcock
  • , Laura Crane
  • , Zoe Hobson
  • , Gilly Nash
  • , Mimi Kirke-Smith
  • , Lucy Henry

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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Abstract

Performance at identification lineup was assessed in eighty-five 6- to 11-year-old typically developing children. Children viewed a live staged event involving 2 male actors, and were asked to identify the perpetrators from 2 separate lineups (one perpetrator-present lineup and one perpetrator-absent lineup). Half the children took part in lineups adapted by a registered intermediary (an impartial, trained professional who facilitates understanding and communication between vulnerable witnesses and members of the justice system), and half took part in “best-practice” lineups, according to the current guidance for eyewitness identification in England and Wales. Children receiving assistance from a registered intermediary (relative to children who received best-practice lineups) were more accurate in their identifications for perpetrator-present lineups, and there was some evidence that they were also more accurate for perpetrator-absent lineups. This provides the first empirical evidence for the effectiveness of registered intermediary support during identification lineups.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)367-375
Number of pages9
JournalApplied Cognitive Psychology
Volume32
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2 Apr 2018

Keywords

  • Child witnesses
  • registered intermediaries
  • perpetrator lineups
  • identification
  • intermediaries
  • child witnesses
  • 2020

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