While guilt has significant influences on confessions, the interrogation environment has been found to be connected with both true and false confessions. When tested on the accuracy of suspect judgement, researchers were surprised to find out that training might impair proper judgement of the subject. In Saul M. Kassin and Gisli H. Gudjonsson’s research, “The Psychology of Confessions”, Kassin and Gudjonsson claims, ”...the federal, state, and local investigators- compared with untrained college students- exhibited lower, chance-level accuracy and significantly higher confidence” (Kassin and Gudjonsson 38). While the accuracy of professional investigators fell, the investigators showed higher confidence in their judgements towards suspects.
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In addition to the effects of the investigation environment on Danish adolescents, Steingrimsdottir found the biggest reasons most adolescents confess falsely is to defend those that make social interactions with them. Steingrimsdottir et al. says, “...given by the participants, for making a false confession, was to protect someone else. This was reported by three (60%) of the participants” (Steingrimsdottir et al. 291). Over half of the participants who answered the survey answered that they gave false confessions to protect their friends. Instead of catering towards justice, many were willing to protect their friends even though they could possibly be involved in criminal activities. The statistic above shows not only how much importance people put in social interactions, but how people are willing to put aside moral judgements for those who they deem is worthy. While the research was mostly on adolescents, it is possible that adults that are of age can show similar characteristics to those that are involved with them professionally and personally. In relation to Steingrimsdottir’s research on Danish adolescents, research among adolescents in the Europe showed that bullying can play a role in confession, albeit the confession may be false. Gisli H. Gudjonsson, Jon Fridrick Sigurdsson, and Inga Dora Sigfusdottir in …show more content…
Guilt was found to be heavily involved in true confessions in crime investigations and literature, while the negative social environment brought out many false confessions. The interrogation environment, depending on the situation, brought out a mix of true and false confessions. There is a correlation between all the confessions, whether they were true or not. Many of those who were interrogated seemed to confess due to the pressure that was around them. The guilty who confessed showed interpersonal conflict, while those with environmental stressors had problems within the environment they lived. While interpersonal and environmental issues are .well known problems that society tackles on today, the effects of guilt, the investigation environment, and the social environment is a noteworthy point in the study and prediction of criminal confession. The study of criminal confession can open up a future for a more accurate justice system, which people around the world feel is lacking in today’s
In addition to the effects of the investigation environment on Danish adolescents, Steingrimsdottir found the biggest reasons most adolescents confess falsely is to defend those that make social interactions with them. Steingrimsdottir et al. says, “...given by the participants, for making a false confession, was to protect someone else. This was reported by three (60%) of the participants” (Steingrimsdottir et al. 291). Over half of the participants who answered the survey answered that they gave false confessions to protect their friends. Instead of catering towards justice, many were willing to protect their friends even though they could possibly be involved in criminal activities. The statistic above shows not only how much importance people put in social interactions, but how people are willing to put aside moral judgements for those who they deem is worthy. While the research was mostly on adolescents, it is possible that adults that are of age can show similar characteristics to those that are involved with them professionally and personally. In relation to Steingrimsdottir’s research on Danish adolescents, research among adolescents in the Europe showed that bullying can play a role in confession, albeit the confession may be false. Gisli H. Gudjonsson, Jon Fridrick Sigurdsson, and Inga Dora Sigfusdottir in …show more content…
Guilt was found to be heavily involved in true confessions in crime investigations and literature, while the negative social environment brought out many false confessions. The interrogation environment, depending on the situation, brought out a mix of true and false confessions. There is a correlation between all the confessions, whether they were true or not. Many of those who were interrogated seemed to confess due to the pressure that was around them. The guilty who confessed showed interpersonal conflict, while those with environmental stressors had problems within the environment they lived. While interpersonal and environmental issues are .well known problems that society tackles on today, the effects of guilt, the investigation environment, and the social environment is a noteworthy point in the study and prediction of criminal confession. The study of criminal confession can open up a future for a more accurate justice system, which people around the world feel is lacking in today’s