The Decision to Confess Falsely: Rational Choice and Irrational Action

Abstract:     
Using empirical evidence from police interrogations in a few national and international jurisdictions, this article studies the dynamics of confessions in the American criminal justice system. The article documents the process of interrogation and explains why police-induced false confessions, like truthful ones, are rational responses to the influence tactics and manipulation strategies that American police use during interrogation. The article argues that false confessions occur when interrogation tactics are not understood and are misused by law enforcement, most often due to negligence or improper training. Finally, the article discusses how to better identify false confessions and decrease the miscarriages of justice caused by them.

Keywords: Criminal procedure, law enforcement, false confessions, taping, recording, interrogation techniques, empirical legal research

Accepted Paper Series