Lecture 3 part 1

Question 1

Police investigations

Answer 1

• Rely on witnesses, victims, and suspects
• Who involved
• What happened
• Where and when did it happen
• How and why did it happen
• Often through interrogations

Question 2

Purpose of interrogation

Answer 2

• Obtain a confession

- Obtain information about the crime

Question 3

Brown vs. Mississippi (1936)

Answer 3

Whipping used in interrogation

Question 4

NYC police (1980)

Answer 4

Stunguns used in interrogation

Question 5

R v Hoilett (1999)

Answer 5

Confession under durress

Question 6

Today’s interrogation

Answer 6

• Lying
• Exaggeration
• Threats
• Leniency
• Moral justifications
• Promises of assistance

Question 7

Reid model of interrogation

Answer 7

• Gather evidence
• Non-accusatorional interview to assess deception
• Accusational interview to obtain confession

Question 8

Minimization techniques

Answer 8

Soft sell tactics that provide false sense of security

Question 9

Maximization techniques

Answer 9

Scare tactics to intimidate

Question 10

9 steps of 3rd stage Reid model

Answer 10

• Confront suspect with guilt
• Develop psychological themes
• Interrupt statements of denial
• Overcome objections
• Engage suspect
• Show sympathy and urge truth
• Offer alternative explanations
• Develop full confession
• Obtain written confession

Question 11

What is permissible by the courts

Answer 11

• Confession must be voluntary

- Confessor must be competent

Question 12

Detecting deception

Answer 12

• Assumed investigators can detect deception when moving from stage 2 to 3 of the Reid model
• Little research supports the assumption

Question 13

Procedural safeguards

Answer 13

• Assumed safeguards like rights to silence are in place to protect those who are being interrogated
• Research indicates most do not understand their legal rights
• Comprehensions can be improved if cautions are delivered in an appropriate format (written vs verbal)

Question 14

Investigator bias

Answer 14

• Officers enter accusational phase of interrogation in belief the suspect is guilty
• Can lead to biased perceptions and behaviours on the part of the interrogator and neutral observers of the interrogation

Question 15

PEACE model

Answer 15

• Alternative to Reid model

- Preparation, Engage/Explain, Account, Disclose, Evaluate

Question 16

Problems with Reid model

Answer 16

• Detecting deception
• Interrogator bias
• Coerciveness and false confessions

Question 17

False confessions

Answer 17

• Possibly intentionally fabricated
• Possibly not based on actual knowledge of the facts
• Must be distinguished from disputed and retracted confessions

Question 18

3 types of false confessions

Answer 18

• Voluntary
• Coerced-internalized
• Coerced-compliant

Question 19

Voluntary false confessions

Answer 19

• Desire for notoriety
• Inability to distinguish fact from fantasy
• Need to be punished
• Attempt to protect real offender

Question 20

Coerced-compliant false confessions

Answer 20

• Desire to escape interrogation or gain a reward

- Knows they did not commit crime

Question 21

Coerced-internalized false confessions

Answer 21

• From suggestive interrogations

- Comes to believe they committed the crime

Question 22

False confessions in the lab

Answer 22

• Computer key study
• Participants accused of committing mock crime
• Vulnerability manipulated
• Presence of false evidence

Question 23

Consequences of false confessions

Answer 23

• Genuine false confessions still likely to be viewed as evidence of guilt by jurors
• Difficulty with self-incrimination explanation
• Difficulty distinguishing true vs false confessions
• Difficulty with form and consent similarities between true and false confessions
• Increased chance of conviction