False Confessions In Police Interrogations

Confessing to a crime one did not commit can have extreme repercussions and yet so many people give false confessions. There are many situational factors that can prompt a person who is under interrogation to confess falsely. Often the individual might be under duress or coercion. The threat of a harsh sentence and intoxication might be another factor. There are some individuals who are more vulnerable to false confessions. Among them are juveniles and individuals with mental or intellectual disabilities. Minors are susceptible to making false confessions for two reasons; lack of psychological and brain immaturity and their compliance with authority (Schwartz, 2016). They may not comprehend the magnitude and consequences of their situation

Video and voice recordings are one of the best reforms that can be implemented. This is a significant reform in preventing wrongful convictions because it will be a reliable and credible source in proving if a confession is authentic or not (Innocence Project, 2018). It will reduce coercion and devious tactics by investigators and eliminate the chance of them unintentionally slipping out details of a crime during interrogations. It can also protect a suspect’s legal rights. Recording interrogations prove to be advantageous and improve the public’s trust in police officers. Camera angles should be considered in these recordings, and both the interrogator and suspect should appear in the video. There are other factors that can lead to wrongful convictions, where reform should take place. Long intense interrogations that last more than 6 hours should be limited to at least 4 hours (Schwartz, 2016). Interrogating minors and mentally disabled individuals poses a serious threat as well. These individuals should be questioned in the presence of a competent adult who can inform them of their rights (Schwartz, 2016). Police officers should make an effort of contacting the individual’s legal guardian. Nevertheless, not all parents are competent so a minor should also have an attorney present. Even though mentally vulnerable individuals are adults,

To psychologically profile a serial killer refers to focusing on the individual personality or physiological aspects of a killer. A serial killer is an individual who has murdered three or more victims. Often, the killings took place on separate occasions with cool off periods in between the murders. Psychologically profiling a serial killer doesn’t always lead to accurate profiles. In fact, many times profiles are influenced by stereotypes and