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OtherREGULAR ARTICLE

False Confessions: Causes, Consequences, and Implications

Richard A. Leo
Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online September 2009, 37 (3) 332-343;
Richard A. Leo
PhD, JD
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Abstract

In the past two decades, hundreds of convicted prisoners have been exonerated by DNA and non-DNA evidence, revealing that police-induced false confessions are a leading cause of wrongful conviction of the innocent. In this article, empirical research on the causes and correlates of false confessions is reviewed. After a description of the three sequential processes that are responsible for the elicitation of false confessions—misclassification, coercion, and contamination—the three psychologically distinct types of false confession (voluntary, compliant, and persuaded) are discussed along with the consequences of introducing false-confession evidence in the criminal justice system. The article concludes with a brief discussion of the implications of empirical research for reducing the number of false confessions and improving the accuracy of confession evidence that is introduced against a defendant at trial.

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Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online: 37 (3)
Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online
Vol. 37, Issue 3
September 2009
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False Confessions: Causes, Consequences, and Implications
Richard A. Leo
Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online Sep 2009, 37 (3) 332-343;

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False Confessions: Causes, Consequences, and Implications
Richard A. Leo
Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online Sep 2009, 37 (3) 332-343;
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    • Abstract
    • The Causes of False Confession: Misclassification, Coercion, and Contamination
    • The Different Types of False Confession
    • The Consequences of Police-Induced False Confessions
    • Conclusions
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