focus on any other suspects or aspects to the case that may actually be linked to the crime. Unfortunately, tunnel vision is also an unconscious act as well so many officers may not even know that they are experiencing it as well (Rassin 2010). Another thing that is important to the investigation are the police reports that are taken. These reports are highly vital to the case because they talk about everything that happened during the arrest, what types of charges the person may receive, and whether they may need a psychological evaluation. Police reports are also important because the prosecutor heavily relies on them and the defense rarely ever does any investigation of their own. When writing these reports, police officers are usually taught …show more content…
to write down any information that my link the suspect to the crime, but are generally not taught to write down any information that may lead the suspect’s innocents. Also during their reports, police officers are usually crunched on time so they may not produce the most detailed report and may not want to either because they fear it may later come back to haunt them in legal terms. Both the combination of faulty police reports and tunnel vision only further makes it harder for the suspect to have his innocence proven when there is little to no evidence that may be recorded or found in the police investigation (Dahlbäck 2012). One final thing that is a factor in police investigation is during interrogation of the suspect. When people are being interrogated, its hard to believe that anyone would confess to some sort of terrible crime that they did not commit.
Yet, one fifth of exonerations have been found that people confessed to a crime that they did not commit. The whole point of interrogation is to try and extract the confession from the criminal who they know has already committed the crime so that way their trial will go a lot smoother. Often police interrogation may take place even before they have started investigation or know anything about the person they are interrogating. In order to get the confession they want, many extreme and rough psychological techniques are used in order to break the criminal, but sometimes these techniques are used on an innocent person instead which will still cause them to confess to a crime they did not commit. Although the suspect may know they have the right to remain silent, many times they will often still wave their rights because they know they are innocent and therefore have nothing to hide. When looking at some of the psychological techniques used when interrogating someone, the first most notable thing that is used is the small room they use that completely isolates the suspect of any other communication, which will make the suspect feel very insecure and …show more content…
uncomfortable. The second technique that is used is when the interrogator lies by saying they found evidence that links the suspect to the crime scene. Police officers are lawfully allowed to the suspect about things like finding an item of theirs at the crimes scene or possibly even finding some of their DNA. When they do this, it makes the suspect worried that they are going to get charged for a crime that they did not commit. After this then the interrogator will offer or sometimes even promise a lighter sentence if they just admit that they did it and will try and act like they are on their side. After confessing some people believe they will be able walk out with just a warning due to the fact that the interrogator said they were on their side and wanted to help as much as they could. Others may walk out after confessing and think that they will just be able to explain to the court later that they did not mean to confess and explain to them how they weren’t even involved. Unfortunately, later on in court their confession will play a big role in proving their guilt without mentioning anything about how psychologically harsh their interrogation was (Leo and Davis 2010). One final thing police officers play a role in wrongful conviction is when they may pay off someone to lie about the innocent person and say they confessed or even supplying their own evidence to link the suspect to the crime. Although there are some corrupt and dirty cops that are out there that have done this, it is still very rare that something like this would happen when it comes to wrongful convictions because if a case like this would happen, then it would not only require to reopen the innocent suspects case, but they would have to open up any and all cases that the officer may have played a part in (Maeder and Pica 2014). Another important aspect to look at when analyzing reasons for wrongful convictions would be forensic sciences and the errors that are made.
Forensic science was the seconded leading cause of wrongful convictions in the first two hundred exonerations. There are quite a
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The Central Park Jogger case is one of false confessions to a crime, with a little help from police, which the defendants did not commit. Evidence taken at the crime scene did exclude the defendants, however, because of videotaped confessions they were sentenced to prison for a crime they admitted to committing even though they did not. It was not until many years later did the original perpetrator step forward from prison to admit he was the one who committed the crime with evidence (DNA) and firsthand knowledge of the scene. The five original defendants were released from prison but until serving a lengthy term. There are cues that can be noticed when investigators are conducting preliminary interviews that have a very high rate of success in determining the guilt or innocence of an individual. Some of these cues may be verbal such as a rehearsed response (Kassin, 2005). Other types of cues may be nonverbal body language such as a slouching (Kassin, 2005).
The act of interrogation has been around for thousands of years. From the Punic Wars to the war in Iraq, interrogating criminals, prisoners or military officers in order to receive advantageous information has been regularly used. These interrogation techniques can range from physical pain to emotional distress. Hitting an individual with a whip while they hang from a ceiling or excessively questioning them may seem like an ideal way to get them to reveal something, but in reality it is ineffective and . This is because even the most enduring individual can be made to admit anything under excruciating circumstances. In the Fifth Amendment of the Bill of Rights there is a provision (“no person shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself” ) which reflects a time-honored common principle that no person is bound to betray him or herself or can be forced to give incriminating evidence. This ideology of self-incrimination has been challenged heavily over the past s...
Many of today’s interrogation models being utilized in police investigations have an impact on false confessions. The model that has been in the public eye recently is the social psychological process model of interrogation known as the “The Reid Technique.” There are two alternatives used by the police today to replace the Reid Technique, one is the PEACE Model and the other is Cognitive Interviewing. These methods are not interrogation techniques like Reid but interview processes.
In situations when a high profile case is public, police investigators undergo amounts of severe pressure to convict a suspect and is often led to convict the first suspect who is involved. Pressure from victims, the community, media and police supervisors often induce speed as the overriding factor when investigating a case. Police officers have human tendencies when trying to reach the overall goal of justice when solving a case. Tunnel vision is often the result of police officers having a narrow theory towards a suspect, drawn to conclusions about who is responsible early and disregarding evidence that points to the suspect as innocent.
The ability of police to exercise discretion was originally designed to allow officers to maintain the peace by allowing certain types of crime to remain unpunished in certain circumstances. This essay will aim to explore the issue of police discretion that suggests that the application of discretion works against the interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In drawing this conclusion, this essay will examine the relationship between policing ideals and the use of discretionary powers and the relationship between policing attitudes and the use of discretionary powers. A discussion regarding the use of police discretion towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can scarcely be mentioned without making reference to arguably the greatest failing by a police officer since indigenous Australians were formally recognised as citizens. Further to this, the case of Mulrunji Doomadgee (Cameron) will be examined from the point of view of officer discretionary powers. The penultimate point to be made will involve the Anglo Australian response to this case as well as the ongoing relationship between indigenous Australians and the institutions that govern them. As mentioned, the first point will involve policing ideals and their relationship to discretionary powers.
Police officers have a stressful job that requires quick decisions making with good judgment. Duties of a police officer involve writing reports and maintaining order in criminal situations, it’s all judged with critical thinking. Due to all the different duties that are required from a police officer they are required to have certain traits such as a good physical agility, ability to cope with difficult situations, well writing skills, as communication skills, and have the ability to have exert and respect commands of authority. Each department will recruit officers in a different way, but they will have some standards for recruitment techniques. These requirement will vary from minimum requirements, education, technology, legal knowledge, residency, and diversity. (Ch.14 Pg.349)
Addressing question 5 of chapter six false confessions. Innocent suspects confess to crimes they did not commit often because they are terrified, confused and exhausted from interrogations. There are multiple reasons why someone might make a false confession. They could confess because they are deceived or tricked by the police or because they might not understand what they are doing and the consequences of it. Also an individual might confess to a crime they did not commit because they feel hopeless, helpless and isolated.
The intellectual battle between police officers and suspects has been ongoing since laws were created. Who did it? Being one of the most popular questions around the globe. There is a multitude of different way to figure out who did it, but one of the most common, and often the only, piece of evidence and investigator can gather is a confession. To get these confessions investigators often use a harsh and aggressive method of interrogation known as the Reid technique. The Reid technique uses a multitude of morally questionable methods to gather a confession such as intimidation, telling the suspect that there is evidence placing them at the scene, and continually refusing to accept the denial of the suspect. These interrogations can also last
Leo, R and Ofshe R. The Social Psychology of Police Interrogation: The Theory and Classification of True and False Confessions. 16 Studies in Law, Politics and Society 189,
Police psychology is broadly defined as the application of psychological principles and methods to law enforcement. With the popularity of television shows like Criminal Minds and Law & Order: SVU, the job of a police psychologist has become more well known and even popular. As seen on these shows, a police psychologist can be helpful in profiling a criminal, but they also provide many other services to the members of a police department. Although the development of this field has a long history, police psychology as a separate entity is still relatively recent and growing. This intimate relationship between psychology and law enforcement can be traced back to almost a century ago.[1] It first developed out of a need for a variety of psychological services in the law enforcement field, including screening applicants and counseling during grief and stress situations. In the time that it has been around, it has proved to be a valuable resource for the law enforcement profession.
Today’s civilization has gotten more involved in our current world events. That is because most present-day issues can be seen or heard on TV and the internet. One of the most recent subject that is very controversial today is police brutality. Police brutality is the use of force by police officers to make a civilian or a criminal comply to them. Although the footages and the stories of these police brutality can be biased because they do not show the whole story, the police are still seen as the bad guy because the people receiving the hit more often die than live. Ethical Dilemmas and Decisions in Criminal Justice by Jocelyn M. Pollock demonstrates the various rules that police officers must follow and
On Tuesday, September 23rd, I had the opportunity to do a ride along with the Takoma Park police department. My ride along was quite interesting. I rode with Officer Carl, a twenty-six-year-old officer who has been with the police department for six months. During the ride along we engaged in so many conversations concerning his work routine, and some the important things to be aware of as a police officer. Officer Carl and I were about the same age group so I felt much comfortable talking to him. Before I went for the ride along I had a different perspective about police work, I thought police work was much amusing and entertaining, but after the ride along with Officer Carl, I have realized that there is much more to police work and it often
Force is the most controversial topic regarding policing today. Officers must have professional discretion when on duty; in the moment an officer must decide what level of force is appropriate. But their decisions are influenced by many factors. Some of these factors are departmental operational strategies and policing style.
On November 17th, 2016 from the hours of 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm, I had the opportunity to take part in a ride along with the Marietta police department. I chose to do a ride along because I believed it was the most interesting choice, and the choice that would require the most of me to step out of my comfort zone. As someone in the internet generation, I believe we are given a lot of false information and representation of police officers. Because of this, I wanted to have the opportunity to see what police officers go through on a daily basis, and to meet a police officer (other than from the other end of a speeding ticket).
Whether patrolling in rural, urban or suburb areas, the duties and responsibilities of police officers and their patrol methods are actually very similar. It is a police department’s uniformed officer’s responsibility to carry out the role of providing public service and controlling crime in a community. The patrol officer has one of the most difficult, dangerous, and complex jobs in a police department because they answer calls and have to deal with all kinds of people every day. Most police agencies around the country are small only employing around 20 officers or less.