False confession

From the video, I have learned that false confessions occur due to different factors. The major factor is the interrogation procedure. During interrogation, interrogators employ devious interrogation techniques which makes the law enforcement officers believe that the person is guilty (Innocent Project, 2019). In other words, the officers use psychologically coercive methods and as a result, the suspect who is subjected to stress and mental fatigue admits guilty to avoid harsher punishment. The law enforcement officer gives an intense psychological pressure which convinces the accused especially young people to admit guilt.  It is also important to understand suspects may lack knowledge about the criminal justice system and their rights (Innocent Project, 2019). As a result, they become vulnerable to the police's ‘Reid techniques'. Suspects who have mental limitations or those who are developmentally handicapped believe that they must agree that they have done wrong and they must please the authority figures to be free (Innocent Project, 2019). These manipulative influences make the suspect become confused whether he or she is guilty or innocent.

 I think that false confession is problematic. Note that the judicial system uses confession to determine whether the suspect is guilty or innocent. A false confession is dangerous as it leads to false evidence which causes unwarranted arrest a wrongful conviction (Leo, 2009). Note that when the suspect confess that he is guilty, the criminal justice officials make a rebuttable presumption that the suspect is guilty and as a result, harsh treatment is imposed in the investigative and trial stages (Leo, 2009). In other words, the justice official and jurors believe that all other case information is true and they impose harsh collective force. The major problem is that when someone confess guilty, the police do not find exculpatory evidence but they rely on the underlying confession (Leo, 2009). Even if other case evidence may emerge to show that the confession is false, the police officers assume that the confession made are true and the suspect is guilty.

 I agree with the proposed solutions that to prevent false confessions and injustice, the entire interrogation should be recorded. The recording will improve transparency and as a result, the interrogators will reduce coerciveness and they will limit interrogation techniques and length of interrogations (Innocent Project, 2019). The recording will allow the suspects to exercise their rights. Significantly, there will be prevention of disputes, the recording will capture important details which will be used in the investigation, and the public will gain confidence and minimize complaints.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

Leo, R. A. (2009). False confessions: Causes, consequences and implications. The Journal of the

American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 37 (3) 332-343.,

 

 Innocent Project (2019). False Confessions & Recording Of Custodial Interrogations. Retrieved from: https://www.innocenceproject.org/false-confessions-recording-interrogations/