Psychology 2990A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Disorganized Crime, Confabulation, Offender Profiling
27 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Psych 2990
May 14-18, 2018
Chapter 2: The Psychology of Police Investigations
- Psychologists have identified a number of key investigative tasks where psychology is
particularly relevant
o One of these related to the collection and evaluation of investigative information
– often obtained through interrogation
o Another task relates to investigative decision making
Police interrogations
- Confession evidence is often viewed as a prosecutors most potent weapon and police
officers will often go to great lengths to secure such evidence
- In some countries someone could be prosecuted on the basis of their confession but in
NA their confession usually has to be backed up
- One of the mail goals of police interrogation is to obtain a confession
- In the past, physically coercive tactics were often used to extract confessions
- Although these overt acts of physical coercion have become much less frequent, it has
been argued that they have been replaced with more subtle, psychologically based
interrogation techniques such as lying about evidence, promising lenient treatment, and
implying threats to loved ones
- Police officers sometimes see this as a necessary evil
The Reid Model of Interrogation
- One of the interrogation training programs in NA offered to police officers is based on a
book written by Inbau called Criminal Interrogation and Confessions
- They describe the well-known Reid model of interrogation, a technique originally
developed by John E Reid, a polygrapher from Chicago
- Generally consists of a three part process
o First stage is to gather evidence related to the crime and to interview witnesses
and victims
o The second stage is to conduct a non-accusatorial interview of the suspect to
assess any evidence of deception
o The third stage is to conduct an accusatorial interrogation of the suspect if he or
she is perceived to be guilty in which a nine step procedure is implemented, with
the primary objective being to secure a confession from the suspect
- The nine step procedure in stage three generally consists of the following steps
o The suspect is immediately confronted with his or her guilt
o Psychological themes are then developed that allow the suspect to rationalize or
excuse the crime
o The interrogator interrupts any statements of denial by the suspect to ensure
the suspect does not get the upper hand in the interrogation
o The interrogator overcomes the suspects objections to the charges
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o If the suspect becomes withdrawn, the interrogator ensures that he or she has
the suspets attetio ad that the suspet does’t tue out he iterrogatio
o The interrogator exhibits sympathy and understanding and the suspect is urged
to come clean
o The suspect is offered explanations for the crime, which makes self-incrimination
easier to achieve
o Once the suspect accepts responsibility for the crime, the interrogator develops
this admission into a full confession
o Interrogator gets suspect to write and sign a full confession
- Inabu also proposes other suggestions
o Included using a plainly decorated interrogation room and to avoid distractions,
having evidence folders be in your hand when beginning the interrogation and
making sure that the suspect is alone in the interrogation suite prior to the
interrogator entering the room
- Based on the idea that suspects do not confess to crimes they have committed because
their fear of the potential consequences of confessing out-weighs the anxiety they feel
when they remain deceptive
- These sorts of interrogation techniques can be broken down into two general categories
o Minimization techniques
▪ Refer to soft sell tactics used by police interrogators that are designed to
lull the suspect into false sense of security
▪ Include the use of sympathy, excuses and justifications
o Maximization techniques
▪ Refer to scare tactics that interrogators often use to intimidate a suspect
believed to be guilty
▪ Typically achieved by exaggerating the seriousness of the offence and by
making false claims about evidence the police supposedly have
The Use of the Reid Model in Actual Interrogations
- Not possible to say confidently how often the Reid model is used by officers
Potential problems with the Reid Model of interrogation
- Three problems deserve our attention
o The first two relate to the ability of investigators to detect deceptions and to the
biases that may result when an interrogator believes if the suspect is guilty
o The third problem has to do with the coercive and or suggestive nature of
certain interrogation practices and that these practices will result in false
confessions
- Detecting deception
o The actual interrogation of a suspect begins only after an initial interview has
allowed the interrogator to determine whether the suspect is guilty
o There is very little research suggesting that anyone can detect deception with
any degree of accuracy
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Psychologists have identified a number of key investigative tasks where psychology is particularly relevant: one of these related to the collection and evaluation of investigative information. Often obtained through interrogation: another task relates to investigative decision making. Confession evidence is often viewed as a prosecutors most potent weapon and police officers will often go to great lengths to secure such evidence. In some countries someone could be prosecuted on the basis of their confession but in. Na their confession usually has to be backed up. One of the mail goals of police interrogation is to obtain a confession. Although these overt acts of physical coercion have become much less frequent, it has. Police officers sometimes see this as a necessary evil. One of the interrogation training programs in na offered to police officers is based on a book written by inbau called criminal interrogation and confessions.
