Confessions and Criminal Profiling

3 types of false confession

voluntary, coerced compliant, coerced internalised

Voluntary false confessions

without pressure - protect, need for fame, fact/fantasy confusion

coerced compliant false confessions

avoid interrogation, promised rewards, ST benefits > LT costs

Kassin and Kiechel

presenting false evidence to vulnerable people causes them to comply, confabulate and internalise 

profiling

inferring type of person who committed a crime based on their offence behaviour

Inductive profiling

made probable by premises, probable offender characteristics based on previous offenders and research, can always be false

deductive profiling

made certain by premises, deduce offender characteristics from available evidence

Mr Big technique

undercover officers posing as members of organised crime gang

Premise

reasons supporting main claim

Conclusion

inferred from premise

evaluation of deductive profiling

time consuming, expensive, poorly defined