Q1. Why would someone confess to something they did not do?
It is indeed not only the guilty people that admit and own their criminal actions, but there are also many situations where some innocent persons can become convicted after giving and confessing falsely to what they did not do (Trainum, 2016). Some of the reasons why false confession happens are discussed below.
Being Lied to by The Investigator
Many times the police employ deceptive methods when questioning the suspect. In the event, the investigator may assert that they have an absolute amount of approved hat link s the suspect to the criminal activity, even though the y claim is false, and there are no findings at all (Trainum, 2016). When a person is getting such statements, there are high chances that the individual will falsely admit to having committed the crime.
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Trying to Avoid Brutal and Intense penalties
There are instances where the suspect is threatened by death sentences, just like the case of the four U.S Navy Sailors (Frontline, 2010). Investigator s may inform the person that the crime they have committed is serious and failure to admit may lead to a death sentence. In such circumstances, an individual may lack an option and accept the crime to avoid harsh sentences, even if the statement is not true.
Surrendering Due to Coercive Psychological Interrogations
In most cases , the police deploy high-pressure interrogation method s that can take long hours (Frontline, 2010). These interrogations impose stress, lack of rest, and intimidation to a suspect. Due to this, the person may want the process to come to an end, making him or her owning a mistake that the person did not commit.
The vulnerability of a Person
In many cases, when a suspect has not been diagnosed with personality or mood disorder, there are chances that the person is likely to be vulnerable during the interrogation process. The person may not be able to cope with the process, and this can lead to false acknowledgments.
Q2. How can the criminal justice system protect against untrue confession?
Criminal justice can deploy various strategies to ensure that only the guilty offenders are answerable and charged to the committed crimes to protect people from confessing falsely. Some of the strategies may include,
Giving People a Lawyer During Interrogation Period
The criminal justice system should provide a lawyer to every suspect during the interrogation period. Lawyers can help to speak on behalf of the suspect without fear, therefore helping in the protection of suspect s .
Interrogating Only Individuals That They Are Sure to Have Committed the Offence
By doing this criminal justice system should ensure that interrogations are only carried out to those that they have obtained sufficient probable cause to support guilt (Floyd, 2010). This will help in keeping innocent people away from the questioning process and therefore discouraging untrue confession.
Educating investigators about the negative consequences of Untrue Acknowledgments
Offering education to the law enforcement regarding the potential for, and implications of false confession may help in protecting individuals from admitting what they did not do. This will enable the police to conduct their duties ethically and avoid coercion of suspects.
Avoiding Activities That Result to Incorrect Confessions
The justice system should adopt a friendly interrogation process that is free from coercion, manipulations, and deceptive techniques. When this is done, instances of false confession may be minimal or eliminated at all.
Becoming Sensitive to the Psychological Vulnerability of Persons
The system should conduct training to the officers to enable them to identify sensitive individual s who may be vulnerable and lack enough courage to defend themselves (Floyd, 2010). As a result, this group of people will be protected from such false confessions.
In conclusion, incent people do confess to a crime they did not commit. It is, therefore, the justice system’s responsibility to protect the innocent suspects and most importantly, humanely conduct interrogations to reduce instances of false claims.
References
Floyd, J. (2010). Preventing False Confessions . John T. Floyd Law Firm. https://www.johntfloyd.com/preventing-false-confessions/
Frontline. (2010). Confessions . WGBH Educational Foundation. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/the-confessions/
Trainum, J, L, (2016). How the police generate false confessions: An inside look at the interrogation room. Rowman & Littlefield.
