Topical Blog Interrogations Due 10/27 @ midnight

I learned a few things from the videos and other information provided on the Investigative website. The CVSA or computerized voice stress analyzer was a technology I was not familiar with. Supposedly it can measure things in the voice that tell whether a person is lying or not. This is obviously used and at times lies are told about the outcomes of the test to create a level of stress in the individual that will increase the chances of them confessing. By reading the blurbs on cases that have involved false confessions it is easy to see that advances in DNA have greatly assisted in helping victims of coercion to confess get free. Chinese water torture is the technique of obtaining a confession after creating immense psychological and physical stress to an individual after repeatedly having water drip on a suspects’ forehead. This sounds not so bad, but the stress of it can cause a psychotic break, at which point the suspect confesses information.

I was surprised to find out in through one of the videos that people attempt to skew the outcome of lie detection test by doing crazy things. Some people have attempted to bite a hole in the tubes on a polygraph test. People think that putting peanut butter on the roof of their mouth, or a penny in their mouth, or some other objects in their shoes can help them pass a lie detection test. The fact that they are attempting to outsmart a lie detector test by such silly methods, to me, screams “LYING”!

You can easily see the techniques that utilize psychological processes, developed by Reid in these videos. The attempt to gain a confession by placing the blame for their actions or involvement in a crime on someone else, minimizing their guilt and participation in the crime are psychological attempts to connect or bound with a suspect. This can be done by mirroring the suspects’ body language and speech. The site points out that it is human nature to want to free oneself from stress. Stress creates physiological symptoms that can be associated with lying, e.g. sweat, twitch, or eye movement. Detectives try to produce psychological stress to create these physiological stresses, so that people will confess in an attempt to get rid of the stress. Detectives try and play psychological tricks on suspects to get them to confess. They may tell a suspect that they know something specific that is actually true about the individual, to the suspect. The suspect will not know how they know this information but will assume they have great reach in knowledge and evidence. This gains the detective credibility. Once the detective has gained credibility they can state a lie about something else to do with the evidence, and the suspect will usually confirm it or not, which can give the interrogator some important information, or something to work with. Some interrogators have used deception to elicit false confessions, such as the case of Doskovic. He made a false confession once promised by the detectives that he would not be sentenced if he confessed. Almost all parts of the interrogation process is using psychological manipulations or creating psychological stress in attempt to gain a confession or information to help in a case.

It was nice to see some live interrogations rather than reading about them or seeing them on a crime television show. Something that I learned from these videos were the way you could tell if someone was lying by if their eye movement was to the right side when recalling facts. When someone looks to the left they are recalling facts, when someone looks to the right they are most likely making up lies. The only problem with this is it is not the most reliable but can be helpful when paired with other physical traits.
The other thing that I learned was about the computerized voice stress analyzer, or CVSA. The CVSA is used off of the AM and FM soundwaves in your voice pattern. When someone lies the FM in the suspect's voice will dissipate. This machine is more accurate than a polygraph machine and apparently cannot be beaten. The psychological aspect in this is that now the interrogator is not the only one telling you that you are lying, now you have an inanimate object that is also saying the suspect is lying and gives the interrogator more credibility.

The one thing that surprised me most about this assignment was the interrogation video about how the interrogator will fabricate evidence and in a sense tell lies to bring out the truth. I found this surprising because it seems like nobody asks any questions anymore. Most of the suspects just accept that the information is reliable and just go with it. The flip side to this with the interrogator is when he will tell the suspect truth and gain credibility, and then tell a lie and get the person to confess to that lie that they told.

I feel like psychology plays a key role in interrogations because a lot of it has to do with gaining the persons trust and being in control. When you can do this through questioning you can get any answer you desire out of the suspect you are interrogating.

I learned a few things from these lie detection and interrogation videos that I was not familiar with before. The first thing that I found interesting is the computerized voice stress analyzer (CVSA). I did not know that these existed and I also did not know that these are more accurate than a regular polygraph test. These tests can tell if someone is lying or not due to various changes in the voice that are measured. It was very interesting to watch an interview of the officers that perform these interrogations and tests. Besides lying to a suspect, it is important to create a foundation of trust. In the first video this foundation is created by the officer telling the woman that he knows she is afraid of men and that they may harm her if she tells on them. The officer makes her comfortable by making her feel safe.

The first thing that surprised me the most in these videos is how far an interrogator can stretch a lie. In one of the videos they went as far to tell someone that they had gun powder residue underneath their fingernails, and that this was going to link them to the crime. Although I know this may be a good technique to get someone to confess, I also feel that these are leading techniques that may surface a false confession out of a suspect. The second thing that really surprised me is the techniques that a suspect will use in order to pass any sort of lie detector test. Some people will put peanut butter on the roof of their mouth, put sharp objects in their shoes, or even bring in gadgets to try and destroy wires that are connected to the lie detector test machine. One thing I found to be very interesting during one of the quizzes is the technique of Chinese water torture. This is when water is dripped on the forehead, which then leads the person to insanity. They will then confess. I thought this was interesting because it does not seem like such a bad thing to have water dripped on your head.

These videos on interrogation relate to psychology in the aspect that the interrogator has to get inside of the suspects mind. They have to make a connection or bond, in order to find any kind of answer. They have to trick the suspect into thinking that they are the good cop and on their side. Unfortunately, interrogations can be manipulative leading to a false confession. In some instances, police can falsely lead a suspect into believing that they were placed at the crime scene and that they had in fact committed this crime. In all, interrogations relate to psychology because it is all a trick of the mind.

Some things were reinforced throughout the web site that we have previously read on. The interviews with the investigators/police were pretty neat. They told about some of their techniques, and we got to see a couple of them in action interrogating. It’s still very surprising that almost 80% of arrested individuals give up their Miranda Rights. I for one would always want an attorney present as well as not saying anything or doing anything that might incriminate me, even if I didn’t do it.
The part that still surprises me about this whole unit is false confessions. Although I can understand that someone not being of competent mind could falsely confess to a crime, I don’t completely understand why others do, except for the reasons given on the web site and from what we have read. Are people so shallow in mind that they cannot lie about something? Are they so convinced that even if they didn’t do something someone else is going to think or try to prove they did? And what is worse in a sense is that a confession is one of, if not the most powerful form of evidence but, with some prejudice, is almost as reliable as an eye-witness. I can understand for some people looking to get notoriety from a confession, but it still surprises me because these people do not look at the consequences of their actions.
Psychology has a large part in interrogations and confessions. An interrogator has to be able get what they want out of whom they are interviewing. They are looking for the facts of the crime, just another part of the crime investigation. The interrogator might use several different techniques in getting what they want, mostly different psychological techniques. Making someone feel isolated, making them feel as if they could tell you anything, antagonizing them, telling them you know more about the crime then you do(a feeling of fear might come into play)….just some of the mind games you can induce on a suspect. Each one works different, just like different forms of teaching techniques work differently for different people. With confessions though, there are many different reasons someone might confess—fear, vindication, pride, notoriety, relief, or sometimes they may not know why they confessed. In order to understand false confessions a little more I had to do some more research. I still don’t completely understand everything about false confessions, but I am starting to get more factors and hopefully will come to my own conclusion. Here are a few sites that I did find on false confessions though:
http://gregdeclue.myakkatech.com/FP%20-%20Psychology%20of%20Interrogations%20and%20Confessions.pdf
http://geeldon.wordpress.com/2011/09/01/no-touch-torture-remote-torture-interrogations-and-false-confession/

Alright. So this website was pretty cool in my opinion. It was cool to see the interviews rather than read about them. In one of the videos they bring out a voice analyzer. I thought that that sort of thing did not exist and the video really did not say whether or not it was a method to get the truth or if it was actually effective. They stated the importance of a inanimate object backing up what the interviewer was saying in terms of lie detection. I thought that it was interesting that they used that even though I am not completely convinced that it was an actual thing. I know through our last reading that some of these methods are used to get a confession. Another thing I found interesting was when the women interrogator mentioned being a mother figure. I thought that could have a big psychological impact. I say that because the person would just be more comfortable with someone who reminds them of a parent. That is big for psychology being apart of interrogation. Setting up the interview so that the suspect may be in the best environment and situation to release a confession.
I thought it was funny and surprising that people tried all of the crazy stuff to try and stump a polygraph. Like peanut butter or pennies in the mouth or things in their shoes, people think that they can get away with a lot of things, which makes it pretty obvious that they are lying. That is the part that made me laugh, they try to stump the machine and then become more obvious that they are lying. I feel that psychology ties into a lot of interrorgation. One of the officers in the video even said that they do a lot of things just to get a psychological hold on the suspect. They use tactics to try and make the person think that a confession might be the best thing for them to do. They want to get the conviction, but at the same time they need to be able to talk to a suspect in a manor that gets them to feel comfortable. I think that has a lot to do with psychology because something needs to click in the mind that makes them feel comfortable. I think that most everyone would be on edge in a interrogation room, so being comfortable has to have something coming from the psychological aspect. Another thing I think is about the inanimate object telling a suspect that they are lying. Even if the interrogation is using methods that lie, it is convincing to the suspect that they will be caught if they do not tell the truth.

There were several things I learned by watching the interrogation videos and taking the interrogation quiz. Firstly, I am surprised to learn that many people try to change the outcome of their lie detection tests by doing strange things like putting pennies in their mouths, putting peanut butter on the roof of their mouth, hiding things in their shoes, etc. I had heard of these types of things to pass alcohol consumption tests, but not lie detection. Also, I was intrigued by the AM/FM lie detection test, something I had never heard of before. Apparently by measuring the levels of AM/FM in one’s voice, a lie can be detected. I find this very interesting, but, as always, I am skeptical of it’s true accuracy. However, I suppose if it is being used it has proven to be very accurate.
While watching these video clips, the section of video clips regarding “establishing empathy” I found to be particularly interesting. There were several comments made by the police officers being interviewed for these clips regarding establishing empathy. One man claimed it is “human nature” to want to speak with other humans about things, which is a reason people confess during interrogations. While I do agree that it is human nature to want to talk, I do not agree that this is a reason people end up confessing during interrogations, I think manipulation is a far more feasible explanation. Many other interrogators made comments saying it was important to make the prosecutor feel like they are “best friends”, one interrogator said you have to pretend to be someone you are not when interviewing someone. I also learned that many interrogators use the technique of acting like they know more information than they truly know while interrogating someone. I find all of this manipulative and possibly unethical. I fully understand it is important for people to confess, I suppose, but using these techniques just seems unethical. If we applied all of these manipulative principles to other things, like sociological research and studies, it would be considered unethical and therefore devalued. I do not seem to understand the logic behind manipulating people into confessing something because then the chances of them making a false confession are higher. But I suppose that does not matter, does it? I am aware that the biggest concern of the criminal justice system really is not about justice, but about finding a person to punish even if they didn’t commit a crime. Essentially what I have learned from watching these video clips is that “establishing empathy” really means tricking people into confessing something they may not have even done.
Another thing I am appalled by in these videos is the technique called “good cop/bad cop”. This is a “psychological tactic whereby the interrogators may interview the subject alternately or may confront the subject at the same time, while one cop is the aggressor and the other cop is the nice guy attempting to look out for the suspect.” If this “tactic” isn’t trickery, I don’t know what is. I know it is imperative that some people get punished for the crimes they commit, but there must be a better way to catch them then play these minds games with people. I am surprised this is what people think “justice” is.
In general, I do not like the idea of interrogations. I find them to be unethical, far too manipulative, and taking the easy way out. I am glad I have this knowledge now.

I thought it was cool in the video learning about how the officer would kind of toss out information and see if he could get her to “bit” onto any of the stuff he was saying, once she thought he knew more than he did she said something like “he will come in here now and get me” and the officer responded by ensuring her that he couldn’t and he would have to make it through a bunch of cops so she felt safer then she let up and told about the perp that they were looking for. It was cool seeing the amount of psychology that each person could use and that there is billions of dollars spent to train people in this. I already knew how convincing a confession was to a trial so it was no surprise to me all the stories about false confessions the people ended up in jail for a while before being released. The most interesting one was about the lady who lied about her boyfriend who had been beating her was the one who killed the other girl to be able to get out of the relationship. That was ridicules, the fact that in order for a girl to get out of a relationship she had to lie to try to get her boyfriend put into jail! Karma was intact there before she realized too late she was in over her head when she also was put in jail, for a lesser time but still for 10 years. Another case that was interesting was the one in Central Park where five boys were accused to raping and killing a girl and in turn it wasn’t them but someone else yet they all said it was them, false confession. It’s weird to think how much this happens and I think we need to rethink how we go about getting confessions to avoid more mishaps like this. The last thing that surprised me was in the quiz it asked about water boarding and stuff like that, it was weird that the CIA had admitted to doing this when I had always thought the CIA denied doing any act like this.

I learned a lot about interrogation from our last assignment on it this week. I thought I knew a lot about it because I watch 48 Hours and those kind of shows which show them in the interrogation room trying to get the correct story and a confession. I knew they pushed people to their limits sometimes and then did the complete opposite by like trying to become friends and tell them everything will be okay and then figure they will open up.

I watched the Weakest Link and Lie Detector, and then took one of the quizzes. I was surprised to learn some of the information to be new to me, then some of it like I said was things I learned from our reading. The first video it was nice being able to see the interrogation going on then see the police talk about it in between each clip. Then the other had information about it. The police told a lie and the woman went with it and just he made men seem like they were bad so she would confess and feel okay about it, like she did nothing bad then. I like to see how they actually put the interrogation techniques into practice. It was very interesting to me to be able to see this actually going on and being able to watch the police interrogate people.
I guess i never figured how far a police could actually go with a lie if they are trying to get a confession out of this interrogation. I mean they honestly just will say any lie to get a confession out of you and I feel that is wrong. I mean I dont think the police should be able to lie to them just so they break down and tell the confession. This is what can lead straight to a false confession.
Also one thing I didn't know was something called a CVSA Computerized voice stress analyzer This device is to detect a difference in the voice to tell if the person is lying or not. The CVSA is more accurate than a polygraph test and apparently cant be beaten. I would think they would use this more than the polygraph tests since it cant be beaten but they dont.

Psychology has a ton to do with interrogations I fell because you have to try to gain the persons trust to get them to confess. Tell them that they will be better off with letting the truth out when really they will be in just as much trouble either way. The police try to form a connection to get them to open up and tell what happened. They have to get into the mind of the person so they can feel trust with the police. This will then allow them to open up and confess.

I learned a lot from this website. It is one thing to read about interrogations from a book or newspaper, but it is completely different to see them in real life. I liked watching interrogators use strategies to try and get suspects to open up. I especially liked the video about using empathy to try to connect with people. I didn’t realize that investigators will accommodate in many ways to make a suspect feel more comfortable. If a suspect feels more relatable or connected to a man, woman, member of the same race, or age, they will find an investigator that fits the criteria to get the suspect to be as comfortable as possible. The more comfortable a suspect is, the more likely they will open up. I also found the video about the voice lie detection software really interesting. I have not heard of this kind of device before and if I did it was probably on CSI or a show like that. I found it especially interesting when the investigator told the suspect that the software could not be beat. This seemed to play a psychological role in the interrogation. I also thought it was interesting for them to throw a question about Chinese water torture into one of the quizzes. They also mention a question about water boarding. I thought it was interesting for them to make sure people are up to speed on different torture techniques. I remember reading about the 1989 Central Park attack in our textbooks but the story on this website went into much more detail. I wasn’t aware that even though none of the boys DNA matched what was found on the victim and the boys retracted their confessions, a jury still found them guilty. It just goes to show how powerful a confession can be on influencing a jury. I also learned a little more about the innocence project during the wrongly accused quiz. Even though I guessed and got it right, I was unaware that only 45% of people exonerated from the Innocence Project receive financial compensation.

Something that surprised me was one of the questions on the quiz. It was about where people’s eyes go when they are remembering something. I remember from a few sources, including the human lie detector guy that people look up and to the right. The options in this quiz were upward, downward, right and left. I chose upward and apparently in this instance the answer is right. I wasn’t sure which one to choose and I just found it interesting that there was a discrepancy between this quiz and our book and other resources about this subject.

A psychological aspect of interrogations is the good cop/bad cop approach. I think that when a person has dealt with the bad cop and are frustrated, working with the good cop makes them feel more comfortable and open to talking about things versus discussing them with someone who intimidates them. The website also mentions how people under stress somehow manifest it psychologically and they have to look for certain cues that show this. Investigators watch for these cues throughout the entire interrogation. The entire process of interrogation is getting into people’s minds and trying to manipulate them in order to obtain a confession. They have to use psychological tricks to get some people to cooperate. It is almost easy to say that psychology plays a role in almost if not every part of interrogations.

While watching some of these interrogations, I learned that they're all pretty much similar in what happens and the way that the interrogators go about the whole process. Watching them live made it seem more real and I could see what actually happens inside of that room instead of just seeing it on television all the time. It is usually the same technique used at first to get the suspects to speak. The suspects have to feel comfortable during the interrogation process otherwise; they will most likely refuse to speak especially if they were involved in the crime.

I learned some stuff about false confessions and why people confess to crimes that they did not do. To understand the "why" part of it, you have to start by examining human nature. A lot of it has to come from stress. Those people being interrogated, a lot of the times, will have been in that room for hours and are probably already nervous. A person under stress will sometimes sweat and have dry mouth, nervous twitches and involuntary eye movements. Everybody wants to be free from stress and by being under all of this pressure a lot of the times will make people confess or give up information that they were holding back before. This human and almost automatic reaction to stress is what is used by detectives to help secure confessions. Studies have shown people who have committed crimes will, most of the time, have guilt or regret associated with their actions. Guilt and regret left unchecked will build stress and anxiety within a person. If a detective can create an atmosphere where a person's stress can be relieved even momentarily, just as a psychologist lessens the anxiety of a patient, then the success rate for truthful confessions rises. This is what a lot of the times you see during the interrogation process. This is all pretty interesting to me.

However, I was surprised at how fast somebody can confess and even agree to come in for interrogation. I am not necessarily for or against interrogations but I think a lot could and should be changed about them and the limits that the interrogators have. I am mainly surprised because those people doing the questioning seem like they will do all they can just to get an answer out of the suspects. They will act as if you're a good person but in reality, they are just trying to get the truth and get whoever it is off the streets. I was surprised at how aggressive some people will be when conducting interviews and some ways that they go about doing them. I think that the "good - cop, bad - cop deal" is not even fair. It should only take on police officer to handle one person and if they're not going to tell the truth, then you got to move on and find the next evidence but teaming up with another cop and playing a role as a good cop to make it seem like the suspect would be in less trouble or have more sympathy for them, I just don't like.

Psychology has a lot to do with interrogations. One of the main ways that psychology plays a role in this process is because it's all about getting into the suspects head by making them feel comfortable, gaining the person's trust, and the biggest one, being in control over the whole interrogation. I think that they feel if they can get the real answer out of the suspect, then it would be best to do it by questioning. The whole point of the questioning is to make the suspects feel comfortable enough to talk but not necessarily in a comfortable environment. Psychology plays a big role in interrogation and in fact, psychologists and psychiatrists who work as members of behavioral science consultation teams can advise interrogators on how best to pressure detainees into giving up information.
Here is a link explaining how and why some psychologists and psychiatrists have jobs to teach interrogators how to put pressure on suspects using psychology. http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2007/08/torture_shrinks.html

I found this website very fun but yet informative. I started off watching the interrogation and somehow ended up taking quizzes about 911, ballistics, autopsies, prohibition, and lie detectors. I found these quizzes to be a good source of testing my previous knowledge on the subjects. The 911 quiz to me was the most informative for several reasons. After taking this quiz I learned that 311 is the number for non-emergency police related calls, internet based phone services can’t be traced accurately, and Europe’s emergency response number is 112. I did not know these things and it proves that even stupid quizzes like these can teach you something in a way that is fun. Also, while taking this quiz I was astounded by one of the questions. The question asked how many calls were made from the World Trade Center on September 11th. The answer was 130. Of the thousands of people only 130 called. And of the 28 that operators could identify, only 1 survived.
The ballistics quiz was the one that I found the most interesting. I have always had a fascination with guns and to me this showed exactly how much I knew. The quiz had a couple of questions on cases where ballistics were important to the trial and also had the workings of ballistics. By the workings of ballistics I mean yaw, drag, recoil, and gun rifling. After you answer the question it will give you the answer and a brief explanation of the term. For example, drag is the resistance encountered by a bullet as it passes through a medium such as air or water. The answer also included the fact that drag is affected by velocity and spin. Once again, it is a fun way to learn something new that is important to the field of criminal justice and law enforcement.
How these quizzes relate to psychology is kind of a difficult question to answer. Instead of thinking of the psychology of ballistics, I thought of the psychology of the developers of this website. They wanted people to get a better understanding of certain topics and they developed a way to do so. I didn’t come to the site to answer questions and learn stuff about ballistics but I ended up doing so.

As far as assignments go, this one was actually pretty enjoyable. I liked the way that the learning process was more interactive. Overall, this website reiterated a lot of the things that I had already read in the book. That being said, I think going through the quizzes and watching some of the clips helped to solidify some of the concepts in my mind that I read about in chapter 2. For instance, the most obvious thing that I noticed when watching the videos is that the police will undertake any tactic that is legally available to them to try to get the suspect to confess. The book analyzed these tactics in detail but the videos allowed me to see how they played out in real life. An example of one of these tactics would be how at least one officer tries to establish a pseudo rapport with the suspect. The good cop bad cop thing is so cliché that I didn’t think the police would actually still utilize that technique, but the website and the book made multiple references to the usefulness of the tactic. In fact, in virtually every video that I watched, at least one of the officers was trying to ‘buddy up’ or at least try to relate with the suspect in order to entice them to come clean.

Another thing that I found interesting was the frequency and ease with which all of the officers interviewed were willing to lie to the suspect. I can understand how as a police officer you might become jaded to the point where you would see everyone that walked through the door as being guilty, but quite frankly, I don’t like how the police are able to mislead the suspect as they do. The belief in the suspects mind that the police somehow have evidence against them that would incriminate them might cause an innocent person to feel helpless, leading them to falsely confess in hopes of getting a better deal.

The most surprising thing that I learned from the site was the fact that 28 states do not keep evidence from previously tried cases. This is especially confusing given the fact that the Federal government is willing to allocate funds to the state for expressly that purpose. A second thing I learned that really surprised me is that some state courts will not consider new DNA evidence that was unavailable at the time of the trial. Despite the fact that this evidence could possible exonerate the suspect, some states simply won’t consider the evidence. To me, this seems like a major failing of our criminal justice system.

Psychology is involved in the entire interrogation process. The process is designed to lead the suspect to the destination that the officer wants, namely a confession. In order to do this, the police will use any number of psychological ploys to aid them in the process. For instance, the police might use verbal aggression and/or verbal coddling in order to get the criminal in a state of mind conducive to confessing. Another psychological tactic that police employ is the use of isolation and control in order to make the suspect feel helpless and that the only option available to him or her is to confess. These examples are just a few in a vast arsenal of psychological tactics that police use on a daily basis.

Another thing to consider is that as it is illegal to use physical force in order to extract a confession in this country, the only leveraging tools left available to police are psychological tactics. As one of the officers in a video pointed out, police departments spend significant amounts of money in hiring consultants to teach officers how to use psychology to aid them in their interrogations. Psychology is a necessary aspect of every interrogation that police undertake.

What I’ve learned about interrogations is how some investigators use the psychological role to the fullest in any investigation or interrogation.
As suspects come in for questioning the investigators automatically start accessing the individual by their psych to match them up with the proper investigator who would do better with that type. Making sure you go into the interview as their equal and not trying to go in there with an upper hand and not trying to seem inferior to the prep to try and gain some trust, and the suspect may open up and talk to you.
The interrogator tries to be formal to try and open them up for them to confess to the crime and also prove their involvement if any with and in the crime itself. The next stage is the polygraph/ lie detector , this is to prove that you did/not have any involvement if not the lone soldier in the crime. The suspect tells the investigator a story or his version of what had happened, but you have to have an alibi and also you have to have some proof to backup your where about.
What surprised me the most is the actual tactics that are used to seek out information the fact that they try to go about getting the confession, as far as misleading with a lie, and sometimes not any actual concrete evidence.
But even with the misleading information tactic, some make a breakthrough to the suspect and they start offering up information. They get to revealing other suspects that were also involved in the crime, if their were others. Where the actual crime happened or started, and where the weapon is if there is one that was used.
Psychology has everything to do with all of this because without information and cooperation you could possibly get anywhere, especially without witnesses.
Being able to somehow identify with the perp, and being able to sympathize with them somehow is very crucial and important to any interrogation tactic. You have to somewhat empathetic to the weakness of the suspect and the mental state their in and wrong doings to get the concrete evidence, the stuff that sticks, with know loopholes.

Watching the videos were very interesting because I am used to only seeing interrogations on TV shows or in movies, which are not always accurate. To see how truly intimidating and controlling the person is interrogating made think it was just like in the movies. Giving the police ability to interrogate suspects, gives them the upper hand when it comes to getting what they want with the information.

The main thing that caught my attention was how willing the investigators were to lie to the suspects. I do not feel comfortable with how much the police can mislead and lead them to confess to things they might not have done. It is one thing to be intimidating and try to open up the suspect professionally, but I personally think it is slightly corrupt to be able to treat suspects like this.

The psychological factor that is most relevant when it comes to interrogating is that the cop has to get inside the suspects mine. They are looking for certain answers, so they need to be able to read the suspect and not necessarily ask questions but demand answers, putting themselves in control. The cop reads the suspect and influences the emotions and behaviors of the person. That is a psychological process that is needed in order for police to get their job done. Without bringing psychology into the process, cops would not maintain control and could be fooled or controlled themselves by the suspect. The legal system would fail and justice would not be properly served if law enforcement didn't bring in psychology to find out what the needed to get the job done.

I learned about a computerized voice stress analyzer. I had only heard of the polygraph machine. It is so crazy to think that something can measure the stress in your voice. I didn’t know that there was an AM and FM frequency in your voice. This must be something really new, because this isn’t anything that my family has ever heard of either. It works by measuring the amount of FM in the voice, because when someone is being deceitful the FM dissipates. Supposedly the guy said its better than the polygraph and it can’t be beat. Whether that is true or not, I am not sure I think that might be a technique of the investigator to make the suspect feel as though they are in a lose-lose situation. They said people try and beat it by using peanut butter, pennies, and tacks in their shoes, and even putting holes in the hoses. I don’t understand why you would destroy their machine; wouldn’t you be in even more trouble with the police?

What surprised me the most was the idea that the investigators could actually lie to you about information. They said they could use the false information along with any real information they have and try and pull the conviction from the person. Their idea behind that is the fact that an innocent person wouldn’t admit to being guilty if they really were innocent. Obviously from what we learned about false convictions, I really think this may cause more of the false convictions. Some people are pretty sketchy and may really fall for what the investigator is trying to do.

Basically behind the weakest link, empathy, lie detector, and deception videos, psychology plays a huge role in interrogation. As soon as the suspect steps in the room with the investigator or investigators psychology begins to work its course. The investigator whether he acts by himself or with another starts to make the person think how easy it is to tell the truth. The idea behind talking to the suspect is to get what really happened at the crime scene to come out. Scenarios that come to mind from class are good cop bad cop and the empathy idea. Each one puts an investigator in the situation to be trusted and make the suspect want to help the investigator out with the conviction. So the investigators cause the suspects to admit to the crimes by mentally and emotionally manipulating the scenario. Psychology definitely plays a key role in all criminal justice aspects.

I watched four interrogations from this website. I watched, “Lie Detector,” “Weakest Link,” “Empathy,” and “Deception.” It was extremely interesting and curious to watch these interrogations and see the psychological tools that interrogators use that we had learned from the book as well. For example, in the interrogation video, “Deception,” an investigator discussed how sometimes they have to lie about their actual knowledge in order to get the truth from the suspect. I also learned that interrogators have to understand when a suspect is not going to give information to a particular officer due to race, gender, or other reasons, so they will put in a different interrogator the suspect will be more comfortable in an attempt to get the suspect to open up. Empathisizing or acting caring and understanding of the suspect is another psychological tool investigators use to gain the suspects trust in an attempt to open them up. If they get the suspect to trust them and warm up to them, they will more easily give the interrogators information, because as stated in the videos, it is human nature to not want to keep information to yourself. Especially information that would weigh heavily on one's shoulders. Furthermore, they discussed the use of lie detection machines such as the polygraph or one they mentioned in a video called a computerized voice stress analyzer. I was not familiar with the CVSA, but apparently it measures things or changes in a suspects voice to indicate whether or not they are lying. It was very interesting to learn about this other mechanical investigation tool. They use these machines not only for their results, but also for the simple fact that it is proof from a sophisticated machine that backs up the assumption of the investigator that the suspect is not being honest with them. By having results from these machines correlating with what the interrogator is assuming and saying, it does not make them look like the bad guy as much in the suspect’s eyes. It shows the suspect that the officer now has legit reasons for interrogating them. These were some of the main psychological process that took place in these interrogation videos that stuck out to me. I also read some of the blurbs on false confessions, and it is plain to see that DNA advances have greatly helped innocent people get out of prison. I also learned about Chinese Water Torture as an interrogation technique. In this interrogation technique, water is repeatedly drip water on the forehead of a suspect. The goal of this technique is to induce a psychological break from the constant drip. The quiz stated that it is meant to drive the suspect to near insanity, thereby to elict a confession or information. I also learned about waterboarding through the quiz. This interrogation technique is when a suspect is strapped to a board with his or her head lowered. Then, their face is covered and water is poured over their face, so they gag and experience the sensation of drowning. Furthermore, I learned that the CIA actually confessed to using this technique on Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. The quiz stated the CIA were impressed with his ability to withstand the torture when most crack within seconds.

What surprised me the most in these videos was some tactics suspects use to try and beat lie detection machines. One interrogator said that he has seen people bite or poke holes in the polygraph machine in an attempt to, “Beat,” the lie detector test. He also said he has seen people put peanut butter on the roof of their mouths, place pennies in their mouths, or place objects in their shoes in an attempt to beat these lie detectors. However, my personal opinion, and I’m sure the officers’ thinking, is that is an outright cry that the suspects are lying!

Another thing I found really surprising and interesting that I learned in Chapter 2 and in the quiz is that 80% waive their Miranda right to counsel. I found this interesting, because you would think that suspects would want as much protection as they can get, whether they are innocent or not. However, I think that many guilty suspects and innocent suspects waive their Miranda right to having a lawyer present during interrogation, because they think taking advantage of this right would make them look guilty. Psychology plays such a huge role in both the interrogation tactics of the police squad and investigators, as well as the mindset of the suspects.

I got 8 out of 10 questions right on the interrogation quiz.

Lindsey Fails

After watching some interviews and taking a few quizzes, much of what was discussed was already touched upon in our text, but there were a few different things that added to the text or just completely surprised me. It is strange to think that 80 percent of Americans waiver their right to counsel or silence and allow investigators to openly interrogate them. This makes me wonder whether or not these people really understand the meaning of wavering their rights or ways they might be taken advantage of if they do so. I was surprised that the investigators lie so much during interrogations in order to tell if their suspect is lying or not. I learned what water boarding is: the act of laying a person on a board, covering their face and then pouring water over it to give them the feeling of drowning. It was very surprising to find out that the CIA really used the water boarding technique of interrogation against a real person and reported about how surprised they were that he could withstand it for so long, as if they do it all the time.

Interrogations have a lot to do with psychology, because the interrogator uses several techniques which are meant to make a suspect more comfortable or less comfortable in order to prompt a confession. The techniques that are used are often intertwined with social, physiological, and psychological needs. For instance, often officers create an environment where there are no other people around to make the suspect less likely to confess or know real details of the crime scene or evidence. This exemplifies the power of social interaction, as well as need for power or control. In the past officers used tactics which effected ones physiological needs to produce a confession, like starving them or not allowing them to sleep, This is compared to more present interrogations where suspects are manipulated more socially and psychologically.

I liked being able to view real interrogations rather than reading about them. Even though we have heard of the different parts of an interrogation, it’s a lot different actually viewing it. I noticed a lot, watching these videos, that the person being interrogated did not make a lot of direct eye contact. They would look at the interrogator but would then shift their head by turning it from side to side of putting it up or down. They would move around in their seat a lot and would usually have a short response. Not only was I fascinated by looking at the suspect and what they do, I was intrigued by the interrogator and how they went about the whole process. I think it is crazy how much control an interrogator has. Sometimes it is good because they can get the answers they want; however, sometimes the answers are false. I don’t know how I feel about interrogators being able to use deception because I think that it might have a tendency to backfire, which isn’t good either. When going through the false confessions section, I was surprised to see how many cases deal with people confessing just because they want to be recognized. Who does that? I found some of the cases where the people who were picked up for a crime that they knew nothing about eventually confess because of the pressure the interrogator puts on them. I think sometimes, they just need a suspect to prove that they found them rather than looking for real evidence. Of course everyone is happy when a crime is solved and the bad guy is put away, but sometimes the bad guy gets away. I hope that there are realistic measures taken in order to reduce false confessions that way innocent people aren’t paying the price while the real suspect walks free. Psychology has to do with interrogations because it is up to the interrogator to get the suspect to trust them. This requires the interrogator to show empathy towards the person who is under interrogation. While providing empathy, the interrogator still remains in control. When the interrogator gains trust, they begin to use deception and start getting the suspect to believe that they know what happened; they just want them to confess. The problem is, like I mentioned before, this can lead to false confessions which can create a bigger mess than before. Overall, I really enjoyed the Investigation Discovery website. I liked taking the quizzes because I learned a lot about the things I didn’t know and was able to receive more information on the things I thought I knew. This was a good activity and was a nice change of pace. The real interrogations and the facts that were presented were very helpful in my understanding of law and how psychology plays a role in it.

I learned some more about the interrogation techniques of police officers and how effective they are. I also learned some more about false confessions and particular cases of people who falsely confessed to crimes. The reason people confess to crimes is that they want to relieve or eliminate the stress they are experiencing. One’s guilt and regret also factors in to why someone may confess to a crime. Knowing these things about people in general, helps investigators/police officers interview suspects successfully with the right interrogation techniques. Investigators may use many different interrogation techniques. Some of the ones shown in the interrogation videos were empathy, lie detection, and deception. I found out that investigators do not just use polygraphs but also computerized voice stress analyzers, which works off of the suspect’s voice and is more accurate than the polygraph.

According to one of the quizzes I took, there is an interrogation technique called “Chinese water torture” which is when you repeatedly drip water on the suspect’s forehead. I did not know such a technique existed.

Another quiz I took was about people who have been wrongfully accused. I did not realize how many people this happens to or how long it takes them to be exonerated. I was unaware that not all states require criminal evidence preservation. I think they all should though because this concept may potentially help wrongly accused people. Basically, every aspect of your life would be negatively impacted if you were wrongly accused of a crime and then exonerated.

What surprised me the most was that only 215 wrongly accused people have been exonerated by DNA evidence. I figured in this day and age that more DNA evidence would have been processed and more wrongly accused people would be exonerated. Another thing that surprised was that only 45 percent of wrongly accused people have received financial compensation. I think all of them should receive some financial compensation because, in a way, their lives have been ruined, and it would be hard for them to find a job even though they were exonerated.

Psychology provides the research and knowledge which is used by investigators to help them interview suspects and determine who’s lying and who’s telling the truth. Everything from this link is reinforced by psychology and what we have learned from our textbook. Psychology is all about knowing and figuring out how people think and behave. This plays an important part in determining what techniques the investigators will use to interrogate suspects. By mimicking the suspect’s body language and speech, the investigator is putting the suspect at ease and is creating a sense of trust. This is one of the ways investigators connect with suspects. They may also use evidence ploys, which get the suspect to think that the investigators know more than they think. Basically, interrogation techniques have evolved into psychological means of coercion.

It was interesting to hear the police admit that they lie to get the suspect to tell the truth. That was not their only technique to press for the truth—they also establish empathy, a bond or a connection to get the suspect to feel comfortable and earn the respect and credibility of the interrogator. The police officers also stated that they cannot place themselves above the suspect, but on even terms to show the defendant that they can be trusted.

Psychology is also used in interrogations of a suspect in multiple ways. During interrogations, they go as far as choosing the interrogator to reach the comfort zone of the suspect, to earn the respect in getting them to disclose critical information. They may also get the subject to believe that they know that they are lying, when in actuality, they are not sure. In most instances, they will also create a bond with the suspect, so that they are not defensive, but more apt to feel a connection and come to terms with their involvement with a confession. Much of it relates to the interrogator getting into the mind of the suspect and getting a confession or possibly even a false confession if manipulated in a harsh manner.

In watching the interrogation videos, I had not realized the use of the voice synthesizer and the higher level of accuracy in measuring the truth in someone’s testimony by measuring the stresses in one’s voice when questioned. The synthesizer is found to be more accurate than the Polygraph test.