Illinois Passes Identification Law

Legislation to improve eyewitness identification procedures in Illinois was signed by the governor on Friday, marking the second wrongful conviction law to be signed in two weeks.

 

In an effort to reduce the risk of misidentification, municipalities across the country will practice blind administration, meaning the police officer who administers a photo or live lineup will be unaware of who the suspect is. Additionally, lineup compositions will be more carefully managed. The fillers, who are the non-suspects included in a lineup, should resemble the eyewitness’ description of the perpetrator. The suspect should not stand out — for example, he should not be the only member of his race in the lineup, or the only one with facial hair.

 

The law was sponsored by Representative Scott Drury and Senators Patricia Van Pelt, Jacqueline Collins and Kwame Raoul who recently sponsored the expanded DNA testing legislation.

 

Learn more about the identification legislation from the

bill status page

and view a

copy of the enrolled bill

.