Interviewing and False Confession

Question 1

Why do we interview (Milne and Bull, 2006)

Answer 1

To obtain maximum quality of information
To find out what happened (if anything did)
To discover who did what

Question 2

Interrogation definition

Answer 2

Always accusatory in nature, and a person being interrogated is told they have committed an offence, and presented with various ‘facts’ or ‘evidence’ in order to obtain a confession.

Question 3

Investigative interview definition

Answer 3

Designed to develop sufficient rapport to prompt the suspect to disclose valuable information

Question 4

Nikki Allan Case

Answer 4

Interviewing officers had deliberately misrepresented the evidence of identification to the suspect.

Question 5

Holmes (2002)

Answer 5

You can never obtain a confession through interviewing, you have to use interrogative techniques

Question 6

Williamson (1993)

Answer 6

Interrogations gone wrong has reduced public confidence, so interviews should be used more often to get evidence before confessions

Question 7

Factors that could affect an interview being oppressive

Answer 7

1. The room being interviewed in
2. How many investigators are there
3. Other people present
4. Nature of allegation or offence
5. Personality type
6. Mental health issue

Question 8

Alison et al (2014)

Answer 8

Building rapport with terrorists interviewed for committing an attack brings more accurate information.

Question 9

PEACE Interviewing Model

Answer 9

Developed by and for English and Welsh police

Also been embraced in Norway, parts of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Europe.

Question 10

Bayley (1994)

Answer 10

Police in all different parts of the world struggle with the same parts of interviewing and can learn from each other.

Question 11

Steps of the PEACE Model

Answer 11

1. Planning and Preparation
2. Engage and Explain
3. Account, Clarify and Challenge
4. Closure
5. Evaluation

Question 12

Irving (1980) - Confession

Answer 12

“Those people who haven’t tried it should test the experience of being locked in a small bare room, not knowing what’s going to happen, or when they are going to get out. It has rather startling effects on people.”

Question 13

Decision-making model (Hilgendorf and Irving, 1981)

Answer 13

Choices the suspect could make in an interview:

1. Speak or stay silent
2. Mae self-incriminating admissions or not
3. Tell the truth or not
4. Tell the whole truth, modified truth, or a partial version
5. How to answer the questions asked

Question 14

Why do people confess?

Answer 14

Justice system gives lighter sentences to those who confess
Interrogation might stop
Strength of evidence might be overwhelming

Question 15

Types of confession (Kassin and Wrightsman, 1985)

Answer 15

Voluntary confession
Coerced-compliant confession
Coerced-internalised confession

Question 16

Voluntary confession definition

Answer 16

1. A morbid desire for notoriety
2. Unconscious need to expiate guilt over previous transgressions via self-punishment
3. Inability to distinguish facts from fantasy
4. A desire to aid and protect the real criminal
5. The hope for leniency
6. To take revenge on another person

Question 17

Coerced compliance (Gudjonsson, 2003)

Answer 17

Eagerness to please interrogator for self esteem
To avoid further contact with feared authority figures
To bargain with interrogator for reward
Suspect knows the truth is different but agrees for the above reasons

Question 18

Coerced internalised definition (Gudjonsson, 2003)

Answer 18

The person comes to accept interrogator’s version of events as the true one

Question 19

Why do people make false confessions? (Vennard, 1984)

Answer 19

A promise from the police of early release from custody
Prolonged detention in police cells
Actual or threatened violence

Question 20

Plimmer (1997)

Answer 20

In Europe there is an increase in investigative interviewing but importance of confession seems to remain

Question 21

Kassin (2005)

Answer 21

Confession had a stronger impact on jury decision making than eyewitness testimony or character evidence.