Differences in personality and mental state between suspects and witnesses immediately after being interviewed by the police

Abstract

There is increased recognition that people interviewed by the police are often psychologically vulnerable due to modest intelligence, mental health problems, disturbed mental state, and personality problems. The current study aimed to investigate differences in the mental state and personality between suspects and witnesses. The participants were 78 individuals (47 suspects and 31 witnesses) who had been interviewed by the Icelandic police. They were assessed psychologically immediately after the interview with the police was completed. Significant differences emerged between the two groups with the suspects being more depressed, hopeless, compliant and personality disordered than the witnesses. Four of the suspects claimed to have made a false confession to the police due to their immediate need or psychological problems.     

Problems in expert deception detection and the risk of false confessions: no proof to the contrary in Levine et al. (2014)

Lie-detection research has shown that observers who rely on nonverbal cues or on verbal cues correctly classify on average 54% of truth tellers and liars. In addition, over the years, countless numbers of innocent people have made false confessions and, in analysing the problem, researchers have implicated both a suspect's vulnerability and the persuasive influence of certain police interrogation tactics. Levine et al. (2014) aim to contribute to these vast bodies of literature by reporting two studies purportedly showing that expert interviewers – when they are permitted to question interviewees – can achieve almost perfect accuracy without eliciting false confessions. We argue that theoretical and methodological aspects of these studies undermine the reliability and validity of the data reported, that as a result the studies do not contribute to the scientific literatures on lie detection and false confessions in any meaningful way, and that the results are dangerously misleading.     

Police interrogation

Abstract

We describe a study of more than 1000 interrogations by Metropolitan Police Officers. Obtaining a confession is found to be the paramount reason for interviewing a suspect. However, few suspects who did not initially confess changed their minds during the interview. 42% of suspects admitted their guilt—about the same number as obtained before tape recording of interviews was introduced. Strength of evidence and legal advice were the principal factors associated with confessing. The confession rate also varied according to which police station hosted the “interview”. An “accusatorial” style of questioning was associated with the possession of strong evidence against the suspect.     

论自首中“如实供述”的司法认定

“如实供述”作为自首成立的实质要件,应适用于一般自首和特别自首两种制度。一般自首中“如实供述”没有主观态度的要求,供述时间只能在一审判决前,供述的内容是“自己的”主要犯罪事实;特别自首中“如实供述”的特殊性在于供述内容是司法机关还未掌握的本人其他罪行。司法机关的范围应限于直接办案的司法机关,“其他罪行”宜界定为“不同罪行”。     

Impact of the popular legal participation on forced confessions and wrongful convictions in Japan＇s bureaucratic courtroom： A cross-national analysis in the U.S. and Japan

The interrogation and lengthy detention of the accused by Japan＇s police and prosecutors without access to legal counsel has generated many forced confessions in Japan＇s criminal court. As results, past research estimated that a large number of innocent people have been falsely convicted, and some of them were even executed for crimes they have not committed. Since almost all of indicted cases result in convictions in Japan＇s criminal court, allegations of wrongful convictions have raised serious human rights issues, and the use of forced confessions in criminal proceedings has long been criticized by families of the accused, their attorneys, legal scholars, citizen activists, and international human rights groups. This paper examines whether or not the 2009 introduction of the Saiban-in Saiban （the quasi-jury trial）, where ordinary citizens deliberate together with Japan＇s bureaucratic judges, helps prevent instances of wrongful convictions. As Japan＇s high conviction rate has substantiated that the Japanese court may be another bureaucratic system that is more interested in preserving its own authority and maintaining the status quo, the infusion of non-bureaucratic legal participants into the traditional judicial process may create the potential to alter the nature of trial processes, the quality of deliberations, and thus ultimate outcomes of criminal trials. Based on interviews and survey responses from Japan＇s grand jury （i.e., Kensatsu Shinsa-kai, or prosecutorial review commission （PRC）） participants and American citizens who served in jury trials, the paper explores the ways in which civic participation in criminal processes may affect the quality of legal decision making in Japan＇s criminal court.     

无辜者认罪的成因分析——基于美国司法实践的阐释

作为一种现实中存在的现象,虚假供述尚未引起我国司法人员的注意,而对此美国学者却进行了深入分析。美国学者根据虚假供述成因的不同将虚假供述区分为三类——自愿性虚假供述、强迫顺从虚假供述与强迫内在化虚假供述,并对各类虚假供述的成因进行了具体的分析,美国学者关于虚假供述成因的分析对我国深刺认识心理强制时代的侦查讯问具有很强的启示意义。     

应确立口供相对任意性的采证规则

口供作为法定证据中的一种,在诉讼中具有真伪两面性,真实的口供有利于查禁犯罪,而虚假的口供却极易诱发冤假错案。民主法制先进的国家在对待口供问题上都确立了一系列的可采性规则,其中主要是自白的任意性规则。在我国只应确立口供的相对任意性规则,这主要是基于我国的基本国情和刑事诉讼的任务,也是基于诉讼的价值平衡决定的。确立口供相对任意性的采信规则具有一定价值,有利于发现案件真实,提高办案质量,使诉讼更加人性化。但存在影响口供相对任意性采信规则的一些因素,所以要保障口供相对任意性规则的实施。     

论自首后辩护权的行使

犯罪嫌疑人、被告人自首之后 ,在案件主要事实方面行使辩护权应当受到限制 ,在次要事实及法律适用方面行使辩护权不应受到限制 ;其辩护人在事实与法律适用方面行使辩护权 ,均不应受到限制。     

遏止刑讯逼供的刑事实体法责任

从根本上遏止刑讯逼供,有赖于决策层、立法、司法界及理论界直至广大国民树立反刑讯逼供、反酷刑的人权保障理念和保护人身权利的价值永远高于查明案件事实的价值观。决不能将刑讯逼供的目的、动机的“善良”作为为刑讯逼供辩护的理由,也不能使其成为刑讯逼供与相关犯罪法定刑存在不适当差距的“合理”依据。我国刑讯逼供罪的法定刑应当重新设计。     

刑讯逼供举证责任探讨

刑讯逼供是指司法人员对犯罪嫌疑人或被告人,采用肉刑或者变相肉刑逼取口供的行为,它对一国之司法损害极大。如何遏制刑讯逼供已经成为众多学者讨论的一个热点问题,从刑讯逼供举证责任倒置的角度设置相对符合当前中国司法现状的举证责任倒置程序对于遏制刑讯逼供将起到重要作用。