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Police Deception During Interrogation and Its Surprising Influence on Jurors' Perceptions of Confession Evidence

NCJ Number
233413
Journal
Jury Expert Volume: 22 Issue: 6 Dated: November 2010 Pages: 9-22
Author(s)
Krista D. Forrest; William Douglas Woody
Date Published
November 2010
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether jurors decide cases differently when police use false-evidence ploys during interrogations.
Abstract
The results of this study suggest that jurors are not likely to act as effective gate keepers who prevent confessions in response to false-evidence ploys from increasing the likelihood of mistaken convictions. An improved understanding of jurors' perceptions of and decisions about cases involving police deception during interrogation suggests a series of practical recommendations for litigators, which are discussed following the conclusion of this study review. Police deception raises important ethical and legal questions across a variety of constituents, particularly given recent highly publicized miscarriages of justice that resulted from false confessions. This paper reviews a recent study of jurors' perceptions and decisions in cases involving confessions and police deception during interrogation and provides additional updates from an ongoing research program. References