Why on earth would somebody falsely confess to a crime they didn't commit, especially since they are aware of its consequences? This website highlights some of the reasons why an individual may falsely confess.
This article points out some of the characteristics which make individuals vulnerable to interrogation and more likely to falsely confess. Individuals with low IQs, suggestible personalities, anxiety problems, drug addictions, and children are more likely to confess for numerous reasons.
Why are individuals who fit these categories more likely to confess? It is suggested that when police bring about false evidence, vulnerable individuals may doubt their memories, fill in the gaps with the false evidence, and internalize the idea that they did indeed commit the crime.
Why would police departments purposefully introduce false evidence, offer compensation for telling the "truth," etc. when they know what they are doing isn't right? Maybe some departments feel pressure to solve a case to put the public at ease and regain/maintain trust; however, I feel that it is very possible that the opposite can happen. For example, after the department successfully gets somebody to falsely confess, they close the case leaving the actual perpetrator on the loose in society. Let's say for instance that the real perpetrator commits another crime after the previous case has been closed, he is eventually convicted, and later admits to the crime that somebody was coerced into falsely confessing. If I lived in that community, I would definitely lose respect for the department, especially if I found out that the police played a part in the confession.
Personally, I think that police shouldn't be given all the freedoms that we talked about in class (e.g. providing false information, interrogating for long hours, offering compensation) because I don't think it benefits anyone. Hopefully someday psychology can do something to help put an end to police coercion!
This article points out some of the characteristics which make individuals vulnerable to interrogation and more likely to falsely confess. Individuals with low IQs, suggestible personalities, anxiety problems, drug addictions, and children are more likely to confess for numerous reasons.
Why are individuals who fit these categories more likely to confess? It is suggested that when police bring about false evidence, vulnerable individuals may doubt their memories, fill in the gaps with the false evidence, and internalize the idea that they did indeed commit the crime.
Why would police departments purposefully introduce false evidence, offer compensation for telling the "truth," etc. when they know what they are doing isn't right? Maybe some departments feel pressure to solve a case to put the public at ease and regain/maintain trust; however, I feel that it is very possible that the opposite can happen. For example, after the department successfully gets somebody to falsely confess, they close the case leaving the actual perpetrator on the loose in society. Let's say for instance that the real perpetrator commits another crime after the previous case has been closed, he is eventually convicted, and later admits to the crime that somebody was coerced into falsely confessing. If I lived in that community, I would definitely lose respect for the department, especially if I found out that the police played a part in the confession.
Personally, I think that police shouldn't be given all the freedoms that we talked about in class (e.g. providing false information, interrogating for long hours, offering compensation) because I don't think it benefits anyone. Hopefully someday psychology can do something to help put an end to police coercion!
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