California legal term
Photo lineup in California Criminal Law
Current through 2026 California legislative session
In California criminal law, “Photo lineup” is a term defined by statute rather than by its everyday meaning. Its statutory definition — quoted verbatim below — controls how the term is applied throughout the California criminal code.
What does “Photo lineup” mean in California criminal law?
“Photo lineup” means a procedure in which an array of photographs, including a photograph of the person suspected as the perpetrator of an offense and additional photographs of other persons not suspected of the offense, are displayed to an eyewitness for the purpose of determining whether the eyewitness is able to identify the suspect as the perpetrator. (Cal. Penal Code § 859.7)
Statutes defining or using this term
Related terms in the same statutes
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.