PSY328H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Appropriate Adult, Limbic System, Miranda Warning
Document Summary
39-48% of suspects make full confessions when interrogated by police and 13% to 16% of suspects make damaging statements or partial admission. Cops estimate that they are able to elicit self-incriminating statements from 68% of the suspects they interrogate. Cops like confessions because it saves time. Also, a confession may be the closest prosecutors can get to a guaranteed conviction. Juries almost always convict defendants who have confessed to committing a crime. In the no confession condition only 19% voted for conviction. Even a clearly coerced confession boosted the rate of conviction by 31% We tend to discount the pressures of the interrogation process as a cause of a suspect"s confession. Since the miranda v. arizona decision, all suspects must be informed of their constitutional rights to remain silent and have an attorney present during questioning. Only about 20% of suspects in police custody choose to exercise their miranda rights.
