Why Do The Innocent Confess

One choice may look more desirable to the suspect because it shows him in a more favorable light. For instance: Did you use the money you stole to pay the bills and buy food for your kids or did you blow it to buy liquor and fancy clothes for yourself? Many suspects would believe that the first part of the question shows them in a more positive light when in fact it just shows them as guilty. They have just, possibly without their own knowledge, confessed.

There are other ways to soften and minimize a crime during interrogation. Instead of using police jargon the investigator will use terms of the layperson. The interrogator may ask, “Did you go into that house because you were going to borrow that money and always had intended to give it back? Instead of saying, “Did you willfully break and enter in order to steal that money?” The interrogator may also say, “We are just looking for you to “tell the truth”, instead of saying, “We are expecting you to confess to this crime”. These softening techniques diminish the seriousness of the crime and make it easier for the suspect to confess.

All in all people confess for an almost infinite variety of reasons. Whether or not the false confession continues to plague the system with doubt remains to be seen. The issues faced during a confession should be carefully reviewed – innocent or guilty? The two should be scrutinized with the utmost care to determine if the confession will hold up in a court of law. Was it coerced or not?Questioning the confession at the time it is rendered should be common practice. The evidence should always substantiates the confession.