Discourse processes and topic management in false confession contamination by police investigators
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsll.34951Keywords:
false confession, confession contamination, police interrogationAbstract
This article advances an analysis of discourse processes which produce confession contamination by two police investigators in an interrogation which resulted in a voluntary false confession. Specifically, I identify and exemplify processes which I call ‘clueing’, ‘stacking’, ‘marking’ and ‘telling’, which are recruited to both covertly and overtly disclose inside crime knowledge to an innocent suspect who is being questioned about such knowledge but is, of course, unable to supply it.
References
Brown, G. and Yule, G. (1983) Discourse Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511805226
Davis, D. and Leo, R. A. (2006) Strategies for preventing false confessions and their consequences. In M .R. Kebbell and G. M. Davies (eds) Practical Psychology for Forensic Investigations and Prosecutions 121–49. Chichester: Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470713389.ch7
Fraser, B. (1999) What are discourse markers? Journal of Pragmatics 31(7): 931–952. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-2166(98)00101-5
Garrett, B. L. (2010) The substance of false confessions. Stanford Law Review 62: 1051–1119.
Garrett, B. L. (2012) Convicting the Innocent: Where Criminal Prosecutions Go Wrong. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Garrett, B. L. (2015) Contaminated confessions revisited. Virginia Law Review 101: 395–454.
Gudjonsson, G. H. and Sigurdsson, J. F. (1994) How frequently do false confessions occur? An empirical study among prison inmates. Psychology, Crime & Law 1(1): 21–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/10683169408411933
Horgan, A., Russano, M., Meissner, C. and Evans, J. (2012) Minimization and maximization techniques: assessing the perceived consequences of confessing and confession diagnosticity. Psychology, Crime & Law, 18(1): 65–78. https://doi.org/10.1080/1068316X.2011.561801
Inbau, F., Reid, J., Buckley, J. and Jayne, B. (2011) Criminal Interrogation and Confessions. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Johnson, A. (2002) So…?: pragmatics implications of so-prefaced questions in formal police interviews. In J. Cotterill (ed.) Language in the Legal Process 91–110. Houndmills, Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230522770_6
Kassin, S. M. (1997) The psychology of confession evidence. American Psychologist 52(3): 221–233. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.52.3.221
Kassin, S. M. (2014) False confessions: causes, consequences, and implications for reform. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences 1(1): 112–121. https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732214548678
Kassin, S. M. and Gudjonsson, G. H. (2004) The psychology of confessions: a review of the literature and issues. Psychological Science in the Public Interest 5(2): 33–67. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1529-1006.2004.00016.x
Kassin, S. M. and McNall, K. (1991) Police interrogations and confessions: communicating promises and threats by pragmatic implication. Law and Human Behavior 15(3): 233–251. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01061711
Keenan, E. O. and Schieffelin, B. B. (1976) Topic as a discourse notion. In C. Li (ed.) Subject-Topic 335–384. New York: Academic Press.
Leo, R. A. (2008) Police Interrogation and American Justice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674033702
Leo, R. A. (2009) False confessions: causes, consequences, and implications. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and Law 37: 332–343.
Leo, R. A. (2013) Why interrogation contamination occurs. Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law 11: 193–215.
Levinson, S. C. (1983) Pragmatics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511813313
Meissner, C. A. and Kassin, S. M. (2002) ‘He’s guilty!’: Investigator bias in judgments of truth and deception. Law and Human Behavior 26(5): 469–480. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020278620751
Meyer, J. and Reppucci, N. (2007) Police practices and perceptions regarding juvenile interrogation and interrogative suggestibility. Behavioral Sciences & the Law 25(6): 757–780. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.774
Nirider, L. H., Tepfer, J. A. and Drizin, S. A. (2012) Combatting contamination in confession cases. University of Chicago Law Review 79: 837–862.
Radelet, M. L., Bedau, H. A. and Putnam, C. E. (1992) In Spite of Innocence. Boston, MA: Northeastern University Press.
Schegloff, E. A. (2007) Sequence Organization in Interaction: A Primer in Conversation Analysis, Vol. 1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511791208
Shuy, R. W. (1998) The Language of Confession, Interrogation, and Deception. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
St. Yves, M. and Meissner, C. A. (2014) Interviewing suspects. In M. St. Yves (ed.) Investigative Interviewing: The Essentials 145–189. Toronto: Carswell.
Tomlin, R. S., Forrest, L., Pu, M. M. and Kim, M. H. (1997) Discourse semantics. In T. A. van Dijk (ed.) Discourse as Structure and Process 63–111. London: Sage Publications.
van Dijk, T. A. (1997) The study of discourse. In T. A. van Dijk (ed.) Discourse as Structure and Process 1–34. London: Sage Publications.
Walton, D. (2003) The interrogation as a type of dialogue. Journal of Pragmatics 35(12): 1771–1802. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-2166(02)00201-1
Davis, D. and Leo, R. A. (2006) Strategies for preventing false confessions and their consequences. In M .R. Kebbell and G. M. Davies (eds) Practical Psychology for Forensic Investigations and Prosecutions 121–49. Chichester: Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470713389.ch7
Fraser, B. (1999) What are discourse markers? Journal of Pragmatics 31(7): 931–952. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-2166(98)00101-5
Garrett, B. L. (2010) The substance of false confessions. Stanford Law Review 62: 1051–1119.
Garrett, B. L. (2012) Convicting the Innocent: Where Criminal Prosecutions Go Wrong. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Garrett, B. L. (2015) Contaminated confessions revisited. Virginia Law Review 101: 395–454.
Gudjonsson, G. H. and Sigurdsson, J. F. (1994) How frequently do false confessions occur? An empirical study among prison inmates. Psychology, Crime & Law 1(1): 21–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/10683169408411933
Horgan, A., Russano, M., Meissner, C. and Evans, J. (2012) Minimization and maximization techniques: assessing the perceived consequences of confessing and confession diagnosticity. Psychology, Crime & Law, 18(1): 65–78. https://doi.org/10.1080/1068316X.2011.561801
Inbau, F., Reid, J., Buckley, J. and Jayne, B. (2011) Criminal Interrogation and Confessions. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Johnson, A. (2002) So…?: pragmatics implications of so-prefaced questions in formal police interviews. In J. Cotterill (ed.) Language in the Legal Process 91–110. Houndmills, Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230522770_6
Kassin, S. M. (1997) The psychology of confession evidence. American Psychologist 52(3): 221–233. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.52.3.221
Kassin, S. M. (2014) False confessions: causes, consequences, and implications for reform. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences 1(1): 112–121. https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732214548678
Kassin, S. M. and Gudjonsson, G. H. (2004) The psychology of confessions: a review of the literature and issues. Psychological Science in the Public Interest 5(2): 33–67. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1529-1006.2004.00016.x
Kassin, S. M. and McNall, K. (1991) Police interrogations and confessions: communicating promises and threats by pragmatic implication. Law and Human Behavior 15(3): 233–251. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01061711
Keenan, E. O. and Schieffelin, B. B. (1976) Topic as a discourse notion. In C. Li (ed.) Subject-Topic 335–384. New York: Academic Press.
Leo, R. A. (2008) Police Interrogation and American Justice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674033702
Leo, R. A. (2009) False confessions: causes, consequences, and implications. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and Law 37: 332–343.
Leo, R. A. (2013) Why interrogation contamination occurs. Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law 11: 193–215.
Levinson, S. C. (1983) Pragmatics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511813313
Meissner, C. A. and Kassin, S. M. (2002) ‘He’s guilty!’: Investigator bias in judgments of truth and deception. Law and Human Behavior 26(5): 469–480. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020278620751
Meyer, J. and Reppucci, N. (2007) Police practices and perceptions regarding juvenile interrogation and interrogative suggestibility. Behavioral Sciences & the Law 25(6): 757–780. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.774
Nirider, L. H., Tepfer, J. A. and Drizin, S. A. (2012) Combatting contamination in confession cases. University of Chicago Law Review 79: 837–862.
Radelet, M. L., Bedau, H. A. and Putnam, C. E. (1992) In Spite of Innocence. Boston, MA: Northeastern University Press.
Schegloff, E. A. (2007) Sequence Organization in Interaction: A Primer in Conversation Analysis, Vol. 1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511791208
Shuy, R. W. (1998) The Language of Confession, Interrogation, and Deception. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
St. Yves, M. and Meissner, C. A. (2014) Interviewing suspects. In M. St. Yves (ed.) Investigative Interviewing: The Essentials 145–189. Toronto: Carswell.
Tomlin, R. S., Forrest, L., Pu, M. M. and Kim, M. H. (1997) Discourse semantics. In T. A. van Dijk (ed.) Discourse as Structure and Process 63–111. London: Sage Publications.
van Dijk, T. A. (1997) The study of discourse. In T. A. van Dijk (ed.) Discourse as Structure and Process 1–34. London: Sage Publications.
Walton, D. (2003) The interrogation as a type of dialogue. Journal of Pragmatics 35(12): 1771–1802. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-2166(02)00201-1
Published
2018-12-07
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Gaines, P. (2018). Discourse processes and topic management in false confession contamination by police investigators. International Journal of Speech, Language and the Law, 25(2), 175-204. https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsll.34951
