Police Interrogation Case Study

Reading #1

Specialized training in interrogation techniques does not improve ability to discern lying, but does increase interrogators’ confidence in their ability to tell if a suspect is lying. How might interrogators’ greater confidence affect how they behave in practice? What consequences could this have for the legal system? (pg. 7)

An interrogators’ greater confidence would cause them to believe that they have the power to distinguish when the suspect is lying, even though they’re not. Their confidence would cause them to increasingly use torture methods regardless if the suspect is innocent or guilty. The interrogators will misread nonverbal and verbal signs, such as closed posture and nervous behavior, as indicators of deception. Their

Research has revealed that this approach increases the likelihood of true reliable confessions and decreases the rate of innocent individual giving a false confession. One measure that allows the information-gathering approach to be successful include open-ended, exploratory questions. This allows the individual in question to explain their knowledge or feelings toward the crime. The police and law enforcement would have the chance to hear the individual’s encounter instead of interpreting the information of their own. Open-end questions can prevent ambiguity, confusion, and let police officers get straight answers. Another measure that helps increase true confessions is using cognitive cues to inspect deception instead of anxiety cues. To emphasize, anxiety cues can show in innocent or guilty individuals, therefore, it can be easily misinterpreted. One example of technique can be a one-on-one interview or group interviews which can create a more trusting and intimate environment, making the individual comfortable of sharing information. The good cop and bad cop routine confuse the individual in question because they are unsure what information they should enclose. Another example of information-gathering approach is the PEACE model. This model allows the individual in question to tell their story without interruption. The police and law

Using the minimization technique, police officers can gain the suspect’s trust to confess to crime by minimizing the severity of the crime and expressing empathy to why they commit the crime. Suspects are more likely to give in to a confession because they believe that their confession helps them escaped severe consequences. Russano, Meissner, Narchet, and Kassin (2004) emphasized that confessions gathered through the minimization tactics can be admissible as evidence during the trials which benefits the legal system. In order to prevent the increase rate of false confessions, there should be regulation for when police officers use minimization tactics. I would suggest that police officer verify that the suspect fully comprehends their constitutional rights. This will prevent them from violating those rights and make the evidence admissible. Another policy I would implement is requiring the police officer to take a break when the individual in question displays severe emotional distress. Examples of emotional distress include extreme levels of anxiety, erratic behavior, and memory problems. Individuals under severe emotional distress can be easily manipulated into giving a confession, so their level of emotional distress should be monitored. The minimization technique still