Saul Kassin: "False Confessions"

The Vera Institute of Justice's Neil A. Weiner Research Department Speaker Series presents Saul Kassin, Distinguished Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Professor Kassin's research focuses on the remarkable phenomenon of false confessions in criminal investigations—which are far more common than one might expect.

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• saul kassin
• false confessions
• true confessions
• police interrogation tactics
• interrogation methods
• dna evidence and confessions
• confession cases

[mcbazzfazz]

Powerful stuff. All interviews and interrogations from start to finish should be videotaped. And all police should be trained properly to keep from prompting and introducing information for the suspect to parrot back to them and to treat all interviewees professionally and humanely. A real confession is a powerful tool for justice but an important focus should be to ensure that all confessions/statements are real ones. Inducing false ones, even by accident, poisons the search for truth.

[RaSuMa312]

In Amanda Knox's case, the interrogation was required by law to be taped. The false confession she gave even included "I confusedly remember.." after over 50 hours of interrogation, culminating in an all night tag team interrogation in which she was denied bathroom breaks, sleep, water and food... and was screamed at that she was a 'liar'. She was hit on the back of the head to help her 'remember'...A classic example of how an interrogator can get any thing they want

[drillchickalways]

Kassin's research is wonderful and necessary for improving the criminal justice system!