THE EXCLUSIONARY RULES Flashcards
PRE-TRIAL IDENTIFICATION
Defintion:
Types:
These are forms of out-of-court ID. They can be testified to in court (at trial).
a. line-up – live viewing of suspect and others
b. photo spread/array – display of photos of suspect and others (photo lineup)
c. show-up – presentation of suspect alone to witness
Pre-trial identification techniques may raise three constitutional questions:
a. Detention of suspect – Fourth Amendment
b. Right to counsel – Sixth Amendment
c. Fundamental Fairness – Fifth Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment Due Process
The out-of-court identification may be suppressed as a poisoned fruit of an illegal seizure if the suspect is not
not lawfully in custody
When is detention okay?
If there is probable cause to arrest suspect
What did Wade-Gilbert establish?
It established a right to counsel at a lineup in order to protect the defendant’s right to cross-examine at trial.
Rationale: To prevent prejudice and/or reconstruct the ID procedure, the Court created a Sixth Amendment right
to counsel at the ID stage.
The court limited the right to counsel at pre-trial ID to those
only to those conducted after the Sixth Amendment right to counsel “attaches”.
For the pretrial ID procedure. If
it occurred before formal adversary proceedings began..
Then there is no right to counsel. There is, however, a due process right.
T o F: The right to counsel only applies to the live display (lineup, show-up) of a suspect after formal adversary proceedings have begun not a photo array.
True.
Suggestive procedure in ID:
1) Show-up – per se suggestive
2) Lineup composition or police communication can make the procedure
suggestive
3) Unnecessarily suggestive
T or F: A suggestive ID can be necessary, when the witness may be dying
True
if unnecessarily suggestive, Was it nevertheless reliable?
Balance the effect of suggestion against factors concerning reliability, such as:
1) Opportunity to view
2) Witness’ degree of attention
3) Accuracy of prior description by witness
4) Witness’ level of certainty
5) The time lapse between the crime and the ID procedure Only unreliable identifications are suppressed.
If the procedure was suggestive unnecessarily and under the balancing test the resulting identification was unreliable, then
the out-of-court ID is suppressed. If such a tainted out-of-court ID has a lasting effect, suppress in-court ID as well.
T or F: A suggestive identification procedure does not violate due process if the police are not involved in creating the suggestive circumstances.
True.
T of F: A post-indictment witness identification of a criminal suspect, conducted without notice to and in the absence of the suspect’s counsel, violates the Sixth Amendment right to the assistance of counsel.
True.
T or F: Under the Due Process Clause, identification evidence may be admitted even if the procedure was suggestive so long as the identification is reliable.
True.