As we all know the judicial system is seriously flawed. One of the downfalls is the tactics used to interrogate potential suspects. The interrogation process is an unfair part of the investigative interview where suspects are lied to and questioned for hours on end. Being interrogated like this can cause people to believe and confess to a crime that they that they did not actually commit. False confessions can influence eyewitness statements and all other types of evidence. These are just a few examples of how truly flawed the judicial system can be.
A Commonly used in investigative interviews/interrogations is the Reid technique. According to Coutts, Gruman, and Schneider (2017) the Reid technique uses harsh strategies, “tactics include repeated accusations and statements of the certainty of the suspect’s guilt; not letting the suspect speak and repeatedly shutting down his or her denials; telling the suspect that there is irrefutable evidence against him or her (even if that evidence does not exist); minimization and justifications for the commission of the crime; and providing the suspect with a theme describing why and how he committed the crime.” As demonstrated being interrogated in this way can really mess with a persons mental headspace. They may actually start to believe that they committed the crime that they are being accused of. If they confess and then realize they made the wrong decision, they can sue for being wrongfully convicted which would cost the system a lot of money.
False confessions have the power to set the stage for the whole investigation. This is because false confessions lead police officers, witnesses, and jurors to believe that the suspect who confessed is the true offender. This taints their view of the offender and they are more likely to believe or see things they did not. This is why eyewitness testimonies are also very, very flawed. Eyewitness errors contribute to the imprisonment of many innocent people. Coutts et. al (2017) states, “In addition to the influence that confession evidence has on police officers and courtroom decision-makers, the damaging effect of a false confession is compounded by the corruptive effect it can have on other pieces of evidence. For example, recent research has demonstrated that eyewitnesses are more likely to misidentify an innocent suspect from a lineup when they are told that this suspect has confessed to the crime”. This brings to light how important eyewitness testimonies can be when used to convict someone.
As one can see the Reid technique and many others like it can cause huge problems in the investigation process. This is because investigative interviews are a very crucial part to an investigation. Using the Reid technique can lead to false testimonies, false confessions, and false eyewitness statements. This means that an innocent person can be wrongfully convicted while the actual criminal is still free to commit more crimes.
Coutts, L., Gruman, J., & Schneider, F. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. (3rd ed.) Sage Publications.
The Reid technique in which interrogators use lies, manipulation or intimidation to get answers from their suspects just leads to bad information and bad results in investigations. This technique is especially troubling when paired with forensic confirmation bias which leads law enforcement and others in the judicial system to be more inclined or motivated to find someone guilty if they already have a suspicion about the person (Gruman et al., p.301). With these two combined, an officer can have a suspicion, use the Reid technique to get a confession & then pat themselves on the back for a job well done with no consideration for if the confession they just secured was in fact true or false. When a suspect is falsely accused this also closes or slows further investigation and makes finding the true culprit much more difficult since it creates more time for the true criminal to escape, for evidence to be lost, etc.
This is why interviews as opposed to interrogations are extremely important. Having innocent men & women incarcerated and criminals who escape conviction have so many daunting implications for the innocent, the guilty, the families, and future victims.
Works Cited:
Coutts, L., Gruman, J., & Schneider, F. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. (3rd ed.) Sage Publications.
We see this Reid technique time and time again on television crime shows. Having not previously known the actually name of the technique, it always seemed like watching these programs that there was an unfair upper-hand given to those performing the interrogation. Even on TV we end up trying to find the guilty person, and so often everyone points to the first person to be scene in the interrogation room. With the ability to create a false narrative to make the suspect fit perfectly as the one who committed the crime, it becomes difficult for anyone in that pressure filled situation to think calmly and rationally. False confessions seem like something that the legal system would want to avoid as it brings up so many issues that you have mentioned in your post. Ultimately, it seems like the focus is more on reaching a guilty verdict rather than finding the person responsible for the crime. This stems from a larger issue with our society, where the urge to convict seems stronger than the urge to find out the whole story. Presenting someone on trial under a false confession only makes a jury and the public more intent on delivering a guilty verdict. False confessions are detrimental in all aspects of finding the truth, and there should be more protocol in place to prevent it from happening.
Reference:
Coutts, L., Gruman, J., & Schneider, F. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. (3rd ed.) Sage Publications.