NCJ Number
200634
Date Published
2001
Length
654 pages
Annotation
This book was developed to provide investigators with updated information describing the interviewing and interrogation process and the underlying explanations for various aspects of the technique. It assists criminal justice professionals in both law enforcement and the courts, in understanding the interrogation process and circumstances that lead to proper admissibility of confessions.
Abstract
A process of interviewing and interrogation, known as the Reid Technique, was initially developed in the 1940's and 1950's and described in the first edition of Criminal Interrogations and Confessions. The Reid Technique has evolved over the years and is the standard in the field. This edition discusses all aspects of this technique with new information in the field of confessions. It presents techniques based on actual criminal cases that have been used successfully by criminal investigators. The text is built around basic psychological principles, examining interrogation as a nine-step process. The text is presented in two sections. Section I offers detailed information on interviewing and interrogation techniques, and Section II discusses the law governing interrogations and certain aspects of the admissibility of confessions as evidence in criminal cases. A new chapter on distinguishing between true and false confessions is intended to assist investigators, prosecutors, and judges in their understanding of the interrogation process and circumstances that lead to proper admissibility of a confession. In addition, a chapter was written that offers guidelines when testifying on a confession. The text includes an appendix on the behavior analysis interview in a homicide case. Index