NCJ Number
173888
Editor(s)
D Morgan,
G M Stephenson
Date Published
1995
Length
165 pages
Annotation
These nine papers examine the central issues involved in the debate about proposed legislation in Great Britain that would restrict a defendant's right to silence in response to police questioning and in the courts.
Abstract
Eight of the papers were presented at a conference organized by the Institute for Social Research at the University of Kent in England to mark the publication in December 1993 of the government's Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill. Supporters of the legislation argued that the right to silence is an anachronistic impediment to justice and that its abolition would lead to the conviction of more guilty offenders in the courts. However, concern is increasing that removal of this longstanding right will expose suspects to greater pressures from the police and increase the risks of false confessions and miscarriages of justice. Individual papers examine the legal issues, research findings, current investigative practice, interviews of suspects outside the police station, the rules for police interrogations, police interviews of juveniles, issues related to suspects with psychological vulnerabilities, police ethics, and bias and suggestibility. Footnotes and chapter reference lists