How many fillers are in a lineup?

How many fillers are in a lineup?

• A. 3
• B. 5
• C. 6
• D. 7

Answer: (B)

Fillers are the non-suspects in a lineup who resemble the suspect to prevent bias in identification. The lineup is typically constructed with the suspect among a group of similar-looking individuals, usually five fillers, so there are five non-suspects included. This setup helps ensure a fair test of the witness’s ability to identify the actual suspect without causing bias by making the lineup look obviously different. If there were only three fillers, the lineup would be too small and easier to identify by elimination; if there were six or seven fillers, the lineup would be larger than standard and harder to administer reliably. So the number of fillers is five.

Fillers are the non-suspects in a lineup who resemble the suspect to prevent bias in identification. The lineup is typically constructed with the suspect among a group of similar-looking individuals, usually five fillers, so there are five non-suspects included. This setup helps ensure a fair test of the witness’s ability to identify the actual suspect without causing bias by making the lineup look obviously different. If there were only three fillers, the lineup would be too small and easier to identify by elimination; if there were six or seven fillers, the lineup would be larger than standard and harder to administer reliably. So the number of fillers is five.