Legal Definitions - identification parade

An identification parade (often called a lineup in North America) is a police procedure where a witness to a crime is asked to identify a suspect from a group of individuals. The group typically consists of the suspect and several other people who are similar in appearance (e.g., age, height, build, ethnicity) to ensure fairness and prevent the witness from being unfairly influenced.

The purpose of an identification parade is to test the reliability of a witness's memory and to gather evidence that can be used to confirm or deny the suspect's involvement in a crime.

Here are some examples:

• Example 1: After a late-night convenience store robbery, the cashier described the perpetrator to the police. A few days later, the police apprehended a suspect matching the description. To confirm the cashier's identification, they arranged an identification parade. The cashier was brought to a viewing room and asked to observe a line of six men, including the suspect, all dressed in similar plain clothing. The cashier successfully pointed out the individual she believed was the robber.

  This illustrates an identification parade because the police presented a group of individuals to a witness (the cashier) for the purpose of identifying a suspect in a crime.

• Example 2: A homeowner reported that their house was burgled, and they briefly saw the intruder's face before the person fled. Police later detained a person of interest. To determine if this person was the one the homeowner saw, an identification parade was organized. The homeowner was instructed to view the lineup and indicate if they recognized anyone as the intruder, without any prompting or suggestions from the officers.

  This demonstrates an identification parade as it involves a witness (the homeowner) attempting to identify a potential suspect from a structured group of people, which is a standard procedure for gathering identification evidence.

• Example 3: During a large public event, a bystander witnessed an assault and provided a detailed description of the attacker to responding officers. When a potential suspect was located nearby, the police arranged an immediate, informal identification parade, sometimes called a "show-up" or "field identification," where the bystander was asked to view the suspect alongside a few other individuals who were also present in the area, to see if they could confirm the identity of the assailant.

  This example shows an identification parade (even a less formal one) because a witness is presented with a group of individuals, including a suspect, to determine if they can identify the person involved in a crime.