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Forensic Psychology and False Confessions: A Serious Contemporary Issue

Posted by Helping Psychology in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX on Oct 26, 2008

The issue of false confessions has plagued forensic psychology for many years. One popular exploration of this topic was done by a man named Hugo Munsterberg in 1908. He had hoped that dealing with the issue at that time would save people in the future, but this did not happen. Today, false confessions are still a serious problem that forensic psychology is looking to solve.

In recent years, 247 cases in one county in Illinois contained confessions that were discarded because they were suspected to be untrue. This brings up the question of why is this happening? Why are so many innocent people taking responsibilty for crimes they did not commit? Forensic psychology offers several answers to these questions.

One reason for this phenomenon looks at the impact the suspect’s personality type has on false confessions. Gisli Gudjonsson, a forensic psychology professor in London, has said that someone who has a suggestive or compliant personality or if they suffer from an anxiety disorder can be likely to fold under the pressure. This idea has some flaws though. Gudjonsson’s method of judging the validity of a confession is employed by justice systems across the world, but it is not completely sound. It has the potential to judge a statement wrong because not every false confession is caused by personality type.

Another answer forensic psychology has been exploring is the intelligence level of the suspects, particularily their IQ score. Someone who has a low IQ is more susceptible to pressure and therefore they are more likely to give in and confess. They also might not fully understand the charges that are being brought against them or the serious consequences that may come from their confession.

Probably the most important factor to look at when dealing with false confessions is the interrogation process. This process takes a toll on any person because it is a psychological process. The tactics that are used are all psychological because the interrogaters are not allowed to physically abuse the suspect in order to coax them into confessing. One such tactic is telling the suspect they have incriminating evidence when they actually do not. This is an incredibily effective tatic because it makes the suspect feel doomed. It can actually cause the suspect to start thinking they are actually guilty.

The length of the interrogation has a significant impact on false confessions. After sitting in a small room for over ten hours the suspect is going to be worn out and probably feeling helpless. At that time confessing may seem like the only way to get out of the room. There have been multiple cases where the suspect has confessed because they just wanted to leave the room.

These reasons can be accurately applied to many cases that involve false confessions. Hopefully in the years to come, the justice systems will take these ideas into account when interrogating a suspect. Until then, forensic psychology will continue to search for ways to keep innocent civilians from being wrongly convicted.