Stuff You Should Know Selects: How Police Interrogation Works
Jul 31, 2021
Discover the intriguing world of police interrogation tactics and the psychological games that can lead to false confessions. Explore the controversial Reed technique and its ethical dilemmas, alongside historical cases that reveal the dark side of police practices. The discussion covers how emotional manipulation can sway innocent individuals into admitting guilt and contrasts traditional coercive methods with more ethical approaches. Engage with thought-provoking insights into the mental complexities behind these high-stakes encounters.
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Brown v. Mississippi
- In Brown v. Mississippi (1937), Brown claimed police repeatedly whipped him while tied to a tree to coerce a confession.
- The Supreme Court deemed the confession inadmissible, marking a turning point against physically coercive interrogation.
Shift to Psychological Coercion
- Requiring signed confessions acknowledging absence of coercion helped reduce physical abuse.
- However, it did not eliminate false confessions, as psychological manipulation tactics emerged.
Exploiting Human Tendencies
- Police exploit human tendencies like trusting similar people and difficulty maintaining lies.
- Techniques like 'good cop/bad cop' prey on these vulnerabilities to elicit confessions.