The Psychology Of False Confessions

Did you know that false confessions are the leading case of wrongful convictions in murder cases? Or that according to the Innocence Project, 25% of wrongful convictions overturned by DNA evidence involve a false confession?

False confessions reveal a concerning aspect of the criminal justice system and the fairness of its legal processes. Research and past cases have revealed how social, psychological and systemic factors can lead to innocent people admitting to crimes they did not commit, which in turn, can lead to wrongful convictions.

Reasons For False Confessions

In 1985, Dr Saul Kassin categorised false confessions into three types: voluntary false confessions (without external pressure); compliant false confessions (resulting from interrogation pressure) and persuaded false confessions (resulting from internalising a belief they committed the crime).

Modern interrogation techniques, such as the Reid Technique, can convince innocent suspects, through psychological pressure or fear of worse outcomes, that confessing is their best option. False evidence such as DNA tampering and bogus witness statements can also lead to individuals doubting their own recollections or innocence. Young individuals and those with disabilities or social disadvantages are at the most risk to false confession.

Past Cases

One high-profile instance of false confession was during the case of the Central Park Five in 1989, where five black and Latino teenagers were accused of rape and assault. The young, innocent teenagers were interrogated coercively without legal representation for hours. Despite a lack of physical evidence, they confessed and were eventually convicted. In 2002, the actual culprit was caught through conclusive DNA evidence and the five were exonerated.
Another case from 1996 involved the wrongful conviction of a police officer, Scott Hornoff. He voluntarily confessed to the murder of his friend in 1989, but later inconsistencies in his confession began to show as well as new DNA evidence pointing to the true culprit. What makes this case unusual is that Scott’s confession was voluntary, not the result of interrogation or psychological pressure.

Preventing False Confessions

False confessions have damaging consequences to the criminal justice system, where public trust in the process becomes eroded and true criminals remain free. Methods to help prevent them can include the compulsory recording of interrogations to ensure transparency and legitimacy. Suspects should also be entitled to proper legal representation during this process. Alternative interrogation methods could also be a way to build rapport with suspects to help decrease psychological pressure while session time limits could help to maintain their mental health.