Question

What is the term for an identification procedure in which a witness happens to see the defendant in custody, say outside the courtroom or in the police station

Answer 1

Answer: Accidental show ups

Explanation: When a crime is committed and investigation commences, at some point the help of witnesses are usually required during the process of identifying the culprit. This process is usually regarded as the show up or line up process whereby the witness is required to point out the perpetrator of the crime based d on her knowledge and account of the incident. However, in some cases, witnesses may physically come across the perpetrator unaware, this is called an accidental show up. Most commonly a, accidental show ups occur in police stations or court environment.