NPR has a nice report on the motivations behind false confessions. Give it a listen--it's just over two minutes long, and reporter Andy Bowers gives an excellent explanation of why people such as JonBenet Ramsey "killer" John Mark Karr might be motivated to voluntarily confess to crimes they didn't commit.
Bowers divides false confessions into two types: voluntary and coerced. His report primarily discusses voluntary confessions, which are often related to a mental impairment or obsession on the part of the confessor. If you'd like to know more about coerced confessions, which Bowers says is the more common variety, check out our article on the subject.
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When a suspect confesses to a crime, it's often seen as a clear victory for the prosecution. But what if the confession was coerced?
Psychology Today has a trio of articles relating to crime and justice.
What's the best way to ensure that law enforcement officers don't abuse their authority and coerce innocent suspects into confessing?
[article originally posted July 6, 2005]
A forensic psychiatrist's take on false confessions:
Investigators, like psychiatrists, learn to establish rapport. They learn to conduct and control an interview. They learn how to collect information and then present it back to the defendant in a way that elicits more information. And they learn tricks...