Police Interrogation and Confessions

These flashcards cover key concepts and information related to police interrogation practices, confession types, ethical concerns, and profiling.

What is the main goal of a police interrogation?

To obtain a confession of guilt.

What must a confession in North America typically be supported by?

Corroborating evidence.

What is the Reid Model of Interrogation based on?

A three-stage process.

What are the three stages of the Reid model?

Fact analysis, behavior analysis interview, interrogation.

What is the purpose of the Behavioral Analysis Interview (BAI) in the Reid model?

To detect deception through behavior.

What key assumption does the Reid model make?

Guilt can be inferred from behavioral cues.

What is a major problem associated with the Reid model?

It may elicit false confessions.

What does the Mr. Big technique involve?

Creating a fictitious criminal organization.

What is a major ethical concern related to the Mr. Big technique?

Entrapment.

How can interrogation practices lead to false confessions?

Due to fatigue and psychological coercion.

What are the three main types of false confessions?

Voluntary, coerced-compliant, coerced-internalized.

When does a voluntary false confession occur?

The suspect confesses without external pressure.

What happens in a coerced-compliant confession?

A suspect confesses to escape pressure.

A coerced-internalized confession occurs when a suspect does what?

Truly believes they committed the crime.

What is the most common type of false confession?

Coerced-compliant.

What factors can increase false confessions?

Long interrogations and sleep deprivation.

What did the Canadian case R. v. Oickle (2000) address?

The admissibility of confessions.

What did the Supreme Court rule in R. v. Oickle (2000)?

Confessions must be voluntary.

What does investigator bias refer to?

Pre-existing beliefs about guilt.

What danger does investigator bias pose?

It may lead to confirmation bias.

Detecting deception during interrogation often relies on what?

Verbal and nonverbal cues.

How well do most people detect deception?

At around chance level.

What cues do police officers tend to rely on during interrogations?

Gaze aversion and fidgeting.

What does empirical research suggest about behavioral cues?

They are weak indicators of deception.

What is the alternative to the Reid Model often cited in the UK?

The PEACE model.

What does the PEACE model emphasize?

Non-coercive interviewing.

What does the acronym PEACE stand for?

Planning, Engagement, Account, Closure, Evaluation.

What is the main difference between the PEACE model and the Reid model?

PEACE avoids coercion.

What does criminal profiling involve?

Inferring personality traits of offenders.

What do profilers use crime scene behavior to infer?

Offender demographics and motives.

When were early profiling attempts made?

In the 1800s.

Who developed the organized–disorganized model?

The FBI.

What do organized offenders tend to do?

Plan their crimes.

Disorganized offenders often exhibit what traits?

Impulsivity and lack of planning.

What is a limitation of the organized–disorganized model?

Weak empirical support.

Who founded investigative psychology?

David Canter.

What does investigative psychology focus on?

Empirical, statistical analysis of crime behavior.

What does geographic profiling use?

Crime locations to predict offender residence.

What is the Canadian system used for linking violent crimes called?

ViCLAS.

What does ViCLAS stand for?

Violent Crime Linkage Analysis System.

Is confession evidence considered a prosecutor's most powerful weapon?

True.

In Canada, is a confession alone sufficient for conviction?

False.

Does the Reid Model rely heavily on detecting deception through behavior?

True.

Does the PEACE model encourage the use of manipulation to obtain confessions?

False.

Is the Mr. Big technique unique to Canada?

True.

Can investigator bias lead to wrongful convictions?

True.

Is the organized–disorganized model supported by strong empirical data?

False.

Do coerced-internalized confessions involve suspects who come to believe they are guilty?

True.

Do voluntary false confessions occur only under police pressure?

False.

Does the PEACE model discourage accusatory questioning?

True.

Does geographic profiling help locate where a serial offender might live?

True.

Is criminal profiling a scientifically precise method?

False.

Was ViCLAS developed by the RCMP?

True.

Is the Reid model still the dominant approach in North America?

True.

Are false confessions rare occurrences in Canada?

False.

What are the three stages of the Reid model?

Fact analysis, Behavior Analysis Interview, and Interrogation.

What is a confession obtained under pressure often referred to as?

Coerced confession.

What type of interviewing does the PEACE model promote?

Ethical / non-coercive.

What do undercover officers pose as in the Mr. Big technique?

Members of a criminal organization.

Investigator bias may lead to what type of bias during interrogation?

Confirmation bias.

What did the R. v. Oickle (2000) case deal with?

The admissibility of confessions.

What are the three types of false confessions?

Voluntary, coerced-compliant, coerced-internalized.

Criminal profiling attempts to predict an offender's what?

Characteristics or behavior patterns.

What does the organized–disorganized model classify offenders based on?

Crime scene behavior.

What does geographic profiling use to locate an offender's base?

Spatial information.

When did the FBI popularize offender profiling?

In the 1970s.

What does investigative psychology emphasize regarding profiling?

The use of statistical / empirical data.

Why does a coerced-compliant confession occur?

To escape pressure.

Who manages the Violent Crime Linkage Analysis System (ViCLAS)?

The RCMP.

What is the goal of geographic profiling?

To narrow down the search area for the offender.