| The power of confession evidence is enormous and indisputable. Confessions are regarded by legal scholars as the most potent type of evidence a prosecutor could bring against a defendant in a court of law. The purpose of this project report is to review the academic literature on the psychology of confessions and the occurrence of false confessions, and analyze the impact that some police interrogation techniques may have on the elicitation of confessions from innocent individuals. The problems associated with confessions and interrogations will be discussed. Historical overview of confession evidence is provided as well as some landmark court decisions regarding confessions. Case examples are presented to illustrate the occurrence of false confessions. The methodology utilized for the project report is based on peer reviewed material and scholarly articles from numerous journals in the fields of criminal justice and psychology. Policy recommendations are provided in Chapter 3 and suggestions for direction in future research. |
