Interrogation and Interviewing Questions.

[drummerdude1188]

I shot the clerk !?!?!?!?!

[mlatino]

I shot the clerk !?!?!?!?!

My Cousin Vinny is one of the greatest movies of all time

[ankyle62]

If you really want to do an interesting paper, do it on the psychology of victims that make false reports of crimes. Plenty of subject matter there.

That would have been interesting and probably a bit easier. Im trying to do one paper to fit two classes, personality and forensic psychology. I don't really like the the fact that the current topic steps on the toes of law enforcement a little bit.

I shot the clerk !?!?!?!?!

Someone else suggested that movie when I was asking about media references. Fortunately I came across two Law and Order episodes that hit on two different scenarios.

[Samuelx]

Yeah, this is what we do all the time...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvp3br95Htc

[bluesmoke9]

I know it's rare, but do you receive training on it or is it is discussed in training that certain techniques could lead to it? Is there policy related to limits on interrogation such as time limits, the time it can take place, or even the type?

There are quite a few cases and research into the subject on the psychology side, but I wanted to know if it was something covered in training or something officers are aware of.

In twenty-eight years I never saw anything close to a classic "coerced" confession. That is the stuff of TV and movies. That said, cops do receive training on different styles of interrogation and then develop their own style from there. You tend to repeat what style works for you, that's just basic human nature. The other training you'll get is what courts have ruled as "coersive" during interviews. Case law dictates more what cops do in interrogations than policy, at least in my experience. The bottom line is you want the guy to tell you the truth, not "force" a statement out of him that may or may not be true. You want to build trust, not necessarily use some Jedi mind trick.

[ankyle62]

Thank you for all the info. As far as my response for the paper I'm going to go ahead say that it's like trying to find a unicorn and you probably have a better chance of getting struck by lightening on duty than witnessing a false confession as long as rules, regulations, and integrity are used by the law enforcement representatives.

Here is a decent Frontline episode covering a case.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/the-confessions/

Mods, you may lock this thread as I no longer need responses, and rather not clutter the forum up anymore.

Thank You Gentleman.