Interrogation

Interrogations

Interrogations have been predominantly done the same way for decades now. We see on popular television shows and movies how they interrogate suspects with all these different methods to create drama. However, they all generally get their ideas from a popular method called the Reid technique. Interrogations aren’t that simple though there is a lot that is at stake. One wrong move in the interrogation room can decide that case. Rules and regulations need to be followed when interrogating suspects. In high profile crime cases you can be dealing with someone’s life if you are trying to through them in jail for life. It should be the main priority to get the right person, and serve justice rather than get a confession out of someone.


The Reid technique is pretty simplistic when you break it down. First you start off with behavioral analysis interview. You ask the person a number of questions, and many of the questions are neutral, and then you ask them some loaded questions. After that you leave the room and determine if the suspect is lying or not. If you think they are lying you go in with your evidence and lay out the case against them. Then you play down the moral consequences of the crime, and try to relate with the suspect to get your confession (Beyond Good Cop/Bad Cop). The problem I see with the Reid technique is that it focuses on the confessions. The reason you interrogate someone is because they are suspected of committing a crime. The focus should be on justice and determining the facts resolving that person’s involvement. Focusing on the confessions fosters an attitude or culture that everyone that comes in that room is guilty, which leads to false confessions.


In the short film Scaredycat, Blubaugh experiences a horrific event where he gets violently mugged. He talks about how fear affected the way his memories portrayed the incident. A psychologist introduces the concept, “Blubaugh experienced one trial learning, where an experience is so potent and significant that you over learn from that experience, and you over generalize from it” (Blubaugh). Blubaugh’s memory inadequately served him because he stereotyped young black males after the incident, and he would move away from them if something felt wrong. However, in reality two of his attackers were white and one was hispanic. This short film is an example of how our memories aren’t perfect. You need to be more lenient on what people say when they try to remember tragic events. During interrogations you should rely more on your investigation and evidence rather than a person’s confession.


The one article that interested me the most was the one by Popova, Neurologist Oliver Sacks on Memory, Plagiarism, and the Necessary Forgettings of Creativity. The article really supports that fact that our memory isn’t perfect. “Yet while we already know that memory is not a recording device, the exact extent of its fallibility eludes — often, quite conveniently — most of us” (Popova). This quote explains how as a society we are so eager to believe what our memory fabricates for us. Meanwhile, we are leaving out many important details when we recreated events that happened in our lives. This shows the slippery slope of taking everything from a confession seriously. People are relying on their memories in interrogations, that is why the information gathered should be supplemental to the evidence and investigation.


In conclusion, interrogations are a delicate and tedious process. They should be handled better than they are being handled today. We should foster a system that minimizes false confessions and maximizes justice. Those who conduct interrogations should understand how people act under pressure, and that memories aren’t perfect. In my opinion there needs to be more research of how interrogations should be conducted. If we know there are issues with the general way we interrogate people, why don’t we improve our method?

Works Cited

“Beyond Good Cop/Bad Cop: A Look At Real-Life Interrogations.” NPR, NPR, 5 Dec. 2013, www.npr.org/2013/12/05/248968150/beyond-good-cop-bad-cop-a-look-at-real-life-interrogations?sc=tw&cc=share.

Blubaugh, Andy, director. Scaredycat. Scaredycat, P.O.V., Dec. 2007, vimeo.com/channels/andyblubaughfilms/5195413.

Popova, Maria. “Neurologist Oliver Sacks on Memory, Plagiarism, and the Necessary Forgettings of Creativity.” Brain Pickings, 11 Dec. 2016, www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/02/04/oliver-sacks-on-memory-and-plagiarism/.