Interrogation of suspects: the investigative interview as a technique for reducing false confessions provoked by suggestion

Abstract

False confessions occur when someone confesses to a crime they didn't commit. They can be voluntary or involuntary and result from factors related to personal motivations or the way the confession is obtained. Involuntary confessions can be induced by interrogation techniques considered accusatory, through psychological manipulation, such as the Reid method. The presumption of guilt tends to provoke interrogative suggestibility, especially with more vulnerable groups, namely adolescents and people with mental disorders or cognitive deficits. This causes damage in relation to obtaining reliable information since the true content of memory may be unrecoverable with the use of inappropriate techniques. In view of this, investigative interview techniques have been developed to change the accusatory mentality towards the search for information, as proposed in the PEACE method. Thus, the question arises: which aspects of the investigative interview can minimize or avoid interrogative suggestibility with criminal suspects? To achieve this, the study discusses the accusatory approach to interrogation, identifying aspects that contribute to suggestibility. It then analyzes the PEACE method of investigative interviewing and points out relevant aspects for reducing the risk of suggestibility and, consequently, false confessions.