Interrogations And False Confessions

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Interrogating a suspect is an activity performed by law enforcement officers that requires acumen. An interrogator must be able to extract information from an offender which can be an arduous endeavor if the perpetrator believes that by admitting involvement or guilt they are acting against their best interest. However, the interrogation process is a high-stakes game that could potentially alter the course of an individual’s life. Thus, it is imperative that interrogators employ a strategy that elicits the truth from suspects and that errors such as false confessions are avoided. Thus, the approach that an interrogator can use to question the subject in the video would be to first gain a better sense of their normal habits and behaviors. The interrogator can start off the interview in a neutral fashion to determine how the suspect typically behaves and note changes in body language as the interview moves forward (John E. Reid and Associates, 2011, p. 11). …show more content…
Moreover, it was mentioned that he had also been arrested for drug paraphernalia. Therefore, it would be necessary to have a basis to determine if the suspect’s behavior indicates guilt or is not unusual. The interrogator can begin by asking the suspect about topics related to his personal life. Alternatively, the interrogator may also ask questions that may be related to the crime. Orthmann and Hess (2013) “Indirect inquiry draws out information without mentioning the main subject” (p. 197). The interrogator in the video utilized this strategy by inquiring about the suspect’s new appearance. Ultimately, the suspect may have changed their look in an effort to conceal their identity and prevent being

False Confessions Empirical Research

False confessions, often resulting from coercion, psychological pressure, or misunderstanding, pose significant challenges to the justice system's pursuit of truth and fairness. More specifically, compliant false confessions result in a confession of a crime not committed for reasons such as interrogation tactics, biases, and coercion. Research demonstrates that police interrogations that involve tactics that manipulate, coerce and pressure individuals can result in them falsely confessing. In the…

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The Psychology And Power Of False Confessions Summary

I chose the article “The Psychology and Power of False Confessions” in this article the author is explaining how people can give false confessions for a crime they did not commit but yet they still believe that they did indeed commit this crime. The main case in this article is the rape and murder of Michelle Moore-Boske, her neighbor Danial Williams was brought in for questioning by the police and after an eight-hour interrogation Williams confessed to the rape and murder. However, the police believed…

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False Confession: The Criminal Case Of Damon Thibodeaux

Damon Thibodeaux in 1996 is the critical case that represents the reality of false confession in the criminal justice system. In this case is that Damon gave a recorded confession that he committed non-consensusl sex and murdered the victim after nine hours of continued interrogation(Paul Purport, 2014). Damon Thibodeaux was sentenced to death and spent 15 years on death row and 16 years in prison baed on his recorded confession before DNA testing proved his innocence. It is important to note that during…

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Deskovic Case Summary

Attorney that Deskovic was guilty was not aligned with any evidence, since there was no real incriminating evidence against Deskovic aside from alleged incriminating confessions that were not recorded; therefore, the statement could not be proved to have occurred. The court can avoid various practices to ensure and reduce false confessions. In the Deskovic case, there were many problematic steps that occurred within the case that could be have avoided. For instance, the police and the prosecutorial…

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False Confessions: The 1998 Michael Crowe Case

False confessions along with false accusations, can lead to devastating situations. There haven’t been one or two cases where investigators falsely accuse someone in order to shut the investigation down as quickly as possible or for personal beliefs. Take for example, the 1998 Michael Crowe case which involved Michael’s younger sister Stephanie Crowe being stabbed to death in her bedroom. Stephanie was only 12 years old and Michael was 14 when this crime occurred. Investigators sought to believe…

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Juvenile Interrogation Research

little information related to the interrogation of youths available. However, there is evidence that supports the theory that juveniles are more likely to confess to their crimes. A study conducted by Ruback and Vardamam, found that 84 percent of juveniles confess to some or all charges. While a study conducted in 1996 found that only 64 percent of adults will confess to some or all charges (Chen, et al, 2004). Information regarding the interview and interrogation of youths can be gathered from three…

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Miranda Vs Arizona 384 US 436 Summary

questioned in an interrogation room by two officers. At no point was Miranda advised that he had the right to have an attorney present. Two hours into the interrogation Miranda had signed a confession. At the top of the signed confession the document stated that Miranda’s confession “was made voluntarily, without threats or promises of immunity and with full knowledge of my legal rights, understanding any statement I make may be used against me.” Miranda’s attorney requested that the confession be suppressed…

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Examples Of False Confessions

I was not surprised by the interrogation of Brendan Dassey since the readings taught me about the mishaps that occur during the interrogation room, especially with the youth. Norris and Redlich (2012) argue that juveniles with cognitive disabilities and developmental disabilities does not the ability to fully understand their rights and easily susceptible to pressure. I researched Brendan’s background and found that he was only 16 years old when he was interrogated by the police. Brendan also suffered…

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The Journalist Case: Dorothy Varallo-Speckeen

that Dorothy was trick or coerced into make her confession. The Journalist interview Dorothy and her statement was “I feel like I admitted to a story that I was told. I feel like I just agreed to get it off the table, to just get it out of there, to just get it done”. During the interrogation Detective Marcella O’Brien lied to Dorothy, and interrupt her when Dorothy was telling the truth of not hurting the baby. She kept looking for the confession instead of the truth. Even though, O’Brien use the…

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Criminal Interrogation And Confessions By John E. Reid

Within their book “Criminal Interrogation and Confessions” John E Reid et al (2013) outline the key differences between interrogations and interviews before going into further detail. Reid et al (2013) describe interviews as a type of non-accusatory form of questioning in which the main aim is to gain information. They highlight that it is important to have a non-accusatory tone even when the interviewer has a good reason to believe that the suspect is guilty as it helps to build a good rapport with…

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