police psychology Flashcards
what do police do
community out reach
help w trauma
de-escalation
police selection procedures
screening out undesireable candidates or select un desireable candiates
everyone gets the same q and gets to evaluate as they please
evaluate KSA
goes w police screening
knowledge skills and abilities
skills u want police to have
compassion, problem solving, calm under pressur, people person, negotation, patience, physical strenght
hamilton police services essetial competency interview
analytical thinking, self confiedence, communication, flexibilitu, self control, relationship building, acheivement orientation, physcial skills and abilties, ability to deal w diversity
police selection prodecures (2)
- cognitive abilities (memory, math, verbal skills, reasoning)
- personality tests (find concerns and personality fit)
MMPI
personailty test that is bad for polive
can get an undertsanding of paranoia
rule out faking good
inwald personality inventory
specificallly designd for police
stress rxn
interpersonal difficultiues
alc and drugs
rxn under pressure
reliability
more effective than regular test
assessment centres
facility in which the behv of police can be observed in several situations by mulyiple observers
r u putting urself/others in danger just to catch the bad guy
simulated envrnent w shooting and hostage and injured partner
discretion
the freedom that a police officer has for deciding what should be done in any given situation
- using force
- deciding when to arrest
- how to help
police integgogation goal
obtain a confession of guilt
why do we need a confession
to convict someone, to same time in court, to be sure
dont use physcial coerion anymore
things u cant lie about in an interrogation
evidence, promising lienient treatment, cannot imply threat to loved one
ried model of interrogation (3)
gather evidence (interview witness and victim)
conduct a non accusatorial interview of the suspect
conduct an accusatorial interrogatoion of the suspect (9 steps)
ried model of interrogation (9)
- Suspect is immediately confronted with their guilt
◦ If no evidence, officer may imply that there is
- we know u did it - Officers speak in ways that suggest the crime is rationalized
- make it seem better than it is
- i get why u did it - Officer interrupts any statements of denial
- happen at any point - Officer overcomes objections
- after listening then counter - If suspect becomes withdrawn, officer ensures that interrogation is not tuned out
- move in closer - Officer exhibits sympathy and understanding, suspect is urged to come clean
- ik its been a long day - Suspect is offered explanations of the crime
-was an accicdent - Once suspect accepts responsibility, developed
into full confession
- nodding yes to i was there - Officer arranges to have suspect write and sign full confession
ried model set up
leave them alone in a plain room w nothing to do and have an evidence folder in ur hand
ppl make choices that they think will
maximize their well being given the constrains they face
why is the ried model sucessful
it uses the fear of confession and the increase of anxiety caused by remaining deceptive
ried modle aims to incerease anxiety and make it feel bigger and worse, so that they have no choice but to alieviate their anxiety in some way, when we act like we sympathize w the bad guy then it decreases their fear since they think their punishment will be less bad since u “like them”
minimization
lull the suspect into a false sense of security
MINIMIZE THE ANXIETY
- they think consequences wont be as bad
- moral justification
- face saving excuses
- u did everyone a favour
- vicitm had it coming
maximization
scare tactics
accuse
want them to feel helpless
this will get a lot better for you
family would be dissapointed
“suspects family would be proud to hear the susoects choice to confessed
(min or max)
min bc less anxoious
the mr big technique
only allowed in canada
noncustodial procedures - happens outside the interrogation room, not in police custody
undercover officer poses as member of criminal organization
suspect made to commit minor crimes and is rewarded w $
suspect is interviewed for higher level job within the gang
- must confess to serious crime to Mr. Big
insruance for the gang
Mr. Big can make evidence disappear
is mr big entrapment
yes but not the act they are confessing to
problems w existing techniques
we assume the sespect is guilty and being deceptive
officets cant know for sure if a suspcet is being deceptive
ther are many biases that could affect what an interrogator beloves
Techniques are coercive and suggestive
False confessions can occur
Suspect Rights
US → Miranda Rights
◦ Canada → listed in Charter of Rights and Freedoms
◦ Right to silence
◦ Right to legal counsel
Only once these rights are waived by the suspect can
interrogation begin
PROBLEM: Many people do not understand these rights
For a confession to be deemed admissible in
court:
◦ Confessor must be competent
◦ Confession must be voluntary
false confessions
intentionally fabricated or is
not based on actual fact
◦ May be elicited in response to a demand to a
demand for a confession
Retracted Confession
confessor later declares
to be false
disputed confession
later disputed at trial
Voluntary:
voluntarily confesses without
elicitation
Reasons
◦ Desire for notoriety
◦ Unable to distinguish fact from fantasy
◦ Desire to make up for feelings of guilt by
receiving punishment
◦ Desire to protect someone else from harm
Coerced-Compliant:
suspect confesses to the crime even though they are
fully aware that they did not commit it
Likely the most common false confession
Reasons
◦ Escape further interrogation
◦ Gain promised benefit
◦ Avoid threatened punishment
Coerced-Compliant False Confession example
3-month-old baby presented to hospital with
broken ribs
◦ Suspected shaken baby
Father interrogated
◦ Denied allegations 34 times over 4 interviews
No doubt it was probably accidental on your part… I don’t believe it
was intentional… Children’s bones are so fragile… You made a mistake.’
‘You’ll be able to say to yourself… I’m going to sleep tonight, knowing
that I told the truth’
‘If you run from your mistake, your family disintegrates, your family
falls apart… If you want your kids to be raised in a foster home, or
adopted somewhere, that is a decision that you have to make
Coerced-Internalized:
recall and confess to a crime that they did not commit
Confession usually made after exposure to highly suggestible questions
Vulnerability Factors
◦ History of substance abuse, interference with brain function
◦ Inability to detect discrepancies between reality and suggestion
◦ Severe anxiety, confusion, feelings of guilt
Case Study - Forced-Internalized False Confessions
Billy Wayne Cope convicted
for murder and sexual assault of 12-year-
old daughter (2001)
Showed little emotion, no signs of forced
entry
Denied guilt, waived rights, offered to be
polygraphed
Broke down and stated that ‘he must have done it’
DNA pointed to a local sex offender → Cope still accused of being involved
Kassin & Kiechel (1996): The ALT Key Study
Will individuals admit to a crime that they did not commit?
Set Up: Reaction time study – type the letters as they are read out loud
◦ Do not press the ALT key – all data will be lost
◦ 60 seconds into the procedure, system ‘crashes’
◦ Head researcher accuses participant of pressing the ALT key
Independent Variables:
◦ Vulnerability → uncertainty of own innocence
◦ Rate of key pressing was fast or slow
◦ False Evidence
◦ Does experimenter claim that they witnessed the key being pressed?
Dependent Variables:
◦ Compliance → tendency to go along with demands from authority
◦ How many participants signed a written confession?
◦ Internalization → personal acceptance of guilt
◦ When participant left the lab, a confederate asked them what happened
◦ How many participants accepted blame?
◦ Confabulation → reporting events that did not occur
◦ Participants asked to reconstruct what went wrong
◦ How many participants reported that they pressed the ALT key?
Consequences of
False Confessions
False confessions often lead to convictions
*False confessions viewed as evidence of guilt
– Difficulty believing innocent person would confess
– Unable to distinguish between true and false
confessions
– True and false confessions often similar in content
and structure
*False confessions may taint other evidence
*Misdirect the overall investigation
Techniques are coercive and suggestive so….
false confessions occur
Techniques assume that the suspect is guilty and being
deceptive but
officers dont know for sure and they all have their biases
Kassin & Kiechel (1996): The ALT Key Study
Will individuals admit to a crime that they did not commit?
Set Up: Reaction time study – type the letters as they are read out loud
◦ Do not press the ALT key – all data will be lost
◦ 60 seconds into the procedure, system ‘crashes’
◦ Head researcher accuses participant of pressing the ALT key
Independent Variables:
◦ Vulnerability → uncertainty of own innocence
◦ Rate of key pressing was fast or slow
◦ False Evidence
◦ Does experimenter claim that they witnessed the key being pressed?
alt key study DV
Dependent Variables:
◦ Compliance → tendency to go along with demands from authority
◦ How many participants signed a written confession?
◦ Internalization → personal acceptance of guilt
◦ When participant left the lab, a confederate asked them what happened
◦ How many participants accepted blame?
◦ Confabulation → reporting events that did not occur
◦ Participants asked to reconstruct what went wrong
◦ How many participants reported that they pressed the ALT key?
do false confessions often lead to convictions
yes
False confessions viewed as evidence of guilt so
Difficulty believing innocent person would
confess
– Unable to distinguish between true and false
confessions
– True and false confessions often similar in
content and structure
can false confessions taint other evidence
yes
what is the Uk trying to help w false confessions
Decrease in coercive interrogation does not result in substantial reduction of
confessions obtained
alternative to coercvive intellorgation
ried
confession-prone
increase guilty increase innocent
main social confession
interrogation technqiue
assimilating
dont want
no increase in guilty and increase in innocent
differentiating
best
incrrase innovent
not increase innocent
nonconfession rpone
no increasw in guilty or innocent so it is usless
confession prone techniques
esentially the same as ried
Isolating suspect
◦ Identifying contradictions
◦ Appealing to self-interest (flattery)
◦ Offering excuses
◦ Interrupting denials
◦ Bluffing
◦ Minimizing techniques
◦ Threatening consequences
◦ Suggesting false evidence
◦ Physical intimidation
Differentiating Techniques
-Building rapport (facilitates convo about inoocence, bulding trust)
- Presenting guilt evidence
- Appealing to conscience
- Showing photos ( small effects on someone inncent, not the same on someone guilty)
PEACE intervwing modle
inquisatorial interview (try to gather evidence)
conversation mamangemnt
not an interrogation
(P)eace
planning and preperation
decide where and when interview will be
p(E)ace
engage and explain
check on their welfare
explaim interview structure
smile
handshake
build rapport
pe(A)ce
Account clarification adn challanege
longer, probe free recall, does ir align w what we know, if not probe,
conversation managemrnt
keep track of facts and contradiciton
pea(C)e
closure
clarify everything, still be warm and engaging, tell person interbiew is ending
peac(E)
evakuation
see if evidenc fits
consider if person is innocemt
