In a photo lineup, what is the minimum number of fillers required?

In a photo lineup, the minimum number of fillers required is five. This is based on guidelines that aim to ensure the lineup is fair and not overly suggestive. The purpose of fillers, or distractors, is to provide a sufficient number of alternatives that do not resemble the suspect, allowing the witness to make a more reliable identification without being influenced.

By including five fillers, the lineup offers a broader range of options which helps reduce the likelihood of a mistaken identification based solely on the suspect's characteristics. This approach enhances the integrity of the eyewitness identification process, as it creates a more balanced and less biased set of images for the witness to evaluate.

In practice, employing a lineup with five fillers alongside a suspect provides a credible visual context, which reflects a more realistic selection scenario while adhering to best practices in law enforcement procedures.