Interrogations, Confessions, and Adolescent Offenders' Perceptions of the Legal System

The potential consequences of interrogations and false confessions have been discussed primarily in terms of the risk for wrongful conviction, especially among adolescents and other vulnerable populations. However, it is possible that such experiences influence adolescents' perceptions of the l...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Law and human behavior 2015-10, Vol.39 (5), p.503-513
Main Authors: Arndorfer, Andrea, Malloy, Lindsay C, Cauffman, Elizabeth
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescent Attitudes
Attitude
Criminal Law
Human
Humans
Interrogation
Juvenile Justice
Legal Confession
Male
Police
Police Personnel
Procedural Justice
Truth Disclosure
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Summary:The potential consequences of interrogations and false confessions have been discussed primarily in terms of the risk for wrongful conviction, especially among adolescents and other vulnerable populations. However, it is possible that such experiences influence adolescents' perceptions of the legal system more generally. In the present study, we examined whether incarcerated male juvenile offenders' (n = 193) perceptions of police and the courts were related to their confession and interrogation experiences. High-pressure interrogation experiences and self-reported false confessions to police were associated with more negative perceptions of police. However, self-reported true confessions were not significantly associated with youths' perceptions of the police. Neither interrogation nor confession experiences (true or false) were related to youths' perceptions of the courts. Results provide additional support for policy reform of interrogation practices with young suspects. A more developmentally appropriate approach to criminal interrogations with youth may simultaneously improve police-youth relations and protect vulnerable suspects in the interrogation room.
ISSN:0147-7307
1573-661X
DOI:10.1037/lhb0000138