Legal Question in Criminal Law in District of Columbia
identification procedures
persons in a lineup may:
be required to wear certain clothing
never be viewed through a 1-way mirror
refuse to utter the words used by the perpetrator
be of obviously different races
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: identification procedures
Persons in a line up are usually given a blue shirt because that's what everybody else is wearing. They must wear the same thing, so that they don't stand out. The persons will ALWAYS be viewed through a one way mirror. Though the persons attorney is in the room with the witness and hearing what is going on. Refusing to utter the wordss is the same as refusing the lineup - which will be used against him at trial. Finally, DC line ups are getting pretty good. Again, the idea is for the suspect to look like everyone else. If you need further assistance call me directly.