W6 False Confessions Flashcards
What are the three types of false confessions?
- Voluntary
- Coerced-internalised
- Coerced-compliant
What characterizes a voluntary false confession?
Resulting from internal factors; non-suspects confess, often due to delusional beliefs or attention-seeking behavior.
What is a coerced-internalised false confession?
When a suspect, under external pressure, initially believes they are innocent but internalizes guilt due to suggestive interrogation techniques.
What does coerced-compliant false confession mean?
Innocent individuals confess to avoid immediate consequences, knowing they are innocent throughout the interrogation.
List some risk factors that make individuals more likely to give false confessions.
- Age (youth)
- Intellectual disability
- Minority group membership
- Innocence paradox
How do interrogation tactics influence false confessions?
Coercive tactics, manipulation, and deception increase the likelihood of false confessions, especially under prolonged interrogation.
What is the Reid Technique?
A guilt-presumptive interrogation method involving strategies like minimization and maximization to elicit confessions.
What are “false evidence ploys” in interrogation?
Tactics used by interrogators to present false evidence to the suspect, increasing the likelihood of a confession.
Why can false confessions lead to wrongful convictions?
Jurors often perceive confessions as compelling evidence, which can overshadow other evidence and lead to biased evaluations.
What was the impact of the case study involving Eddie Lowery?
Demonstrated how coercive interrogation and false evidence can lead to wrongful confessions and ultimately wrongful convictions.
How does age influence susceptibility to false confessions?
Young individuals are more impulsive, suggestible, and vulnerable to social influence, particularly under coercive conditions.
What role does juror perception play in the evaluation of confessions?
Jurors often attribute confessions to dispositional factors rather than situational influences, affecting their judgment of guilt.
