Police perceptions of youth interrogative suggestibility and false confession rates

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Recent media coverage has highlighted egregious cases in which young innocent suspects were wrongly convicted because they falsely confessed during coercive interrogation procedures. This investigation will provide the first, nationwide documentation of approximately 1,400 law enforcement officers' interrogation practices, beliefs about the reliability of these techniques, and knowledge of child development. Police of various ranks from three large law enforcement agencies across three metropolitan U.S. cities and three geographical locations, as well as from three small law enforcement agencies, will complete surveys on interrogation practices and general knowledge of development. Participants will receive one of three versions of an interrogation survey and one of two developmental surveys. The interrogation survey consists of 49 questions about actual interrogation practices, beliefs, and false confessions. The developmental survey consists of 20 questions about developmental differences between youth and adults. Factor analysis and ANOVA will be used to explore relationships between version of developmental surveys and factors. These analyses will determine whether police acknowledge developmental differences between youth and adults and perceive children, youth, and adults differently during interrogation. This research is the first collaborative effort to obtain a standardized documentation of police practices, beliefs, and needs for training regarding the handling of youth during the interrogation process.