With a few exceptions, the police are allowed to lie to a suspect to get them to confess. The belief is that an innocent person would never confess to a crime he/she didn't commit, even if confronted with false physical evidence of their involvement. However, that's not always the case, but it's a big part of the reason why the police are allowed to employ deceptive tactics in interrogation.
The psychological manipulation begins before the interrogator even opens their mouth. The physical layout of an interrogation room is designed to maximise a suspect's discomfort and sense of powerlessness from the moment they steps inside. The classic interrogation manual "Criminal Interrogation and Confessions" recommends a small, soundproof room with only three chairs (two for detectives, one for the suspect) and a desk, with nothing on the walls. This creates a sense of exposure, unfamiliarity and isolation, heightening the suspect's "get me out of here" sensation throughout the interrogation.
The manual also suggests that the suspect should be seated in an uncomfortable chair, out of reach of any controls like light switches or thermostats, furthering discomfort and setting up a feeling of dependence. A one-way mirror is an ideal addition to the room, because it increases the suspect's anxiety and allows other detectives to watch the process and help the interrogator figure out which techniques are working and which aren't.
Before the nine steps of the Reid Interrogation begin, there's an initial interview to determine guilt or innocence. During this time, the interrogator attempts to develop a rapport with the suspect, using casual conversation to create a non-threatening atmosphere - people tend to like and trust people who are like them, so the detective may claim to share some of the suspect's interests or beliefs. If the suspect starts talking to the interrogator about harmless things, it becomes harder to stop talking (or start lying) later when the discussion turns to the crime.
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During this initial conversation, the detective observes the suspect's reactions - both verbal and non-verbal - to establish a baseline reaction. The detective will use this baseline later as a comparison point.
One method of creating a baseline involves asking questions that cause the suspect to access different parts of their brain. The detective asks non-threatening questions that require memory (simple recall) and questions that require thinking (creativity). When the suspect is remembering something, the eyes often move to the right - just an outward manifestation of the brain activating the memory centre. When he/she is thinking about something, the eyes might move upward or to the left - reflecting activation of the cognitive centre - the detective makes a mental note of the suspect's eye activity.
The next step is to turn the questioning to the task at hand. The detective will ask basic questions about the crime and compare the suspect's reactions to the baseline to determine if the suspect is being truthful or deceptive. If the interrogator asks the suspect where they were the night of the crime and he/she answer truthfully, they will be remembering, so the eyes may move to the right; if they're making up an alibi (requiring thinking), the eyes might move to the left. If the interrogator determines that the suspect's reactions indicate deception, and all other evidence points to guilt, the interrogation of a guilty suspect begins.
Because my group and I are limited for time and resources in regards to what we can include in our preliminary task production, we will likely be unable to use features such as a one-way mirror and the majority of dialogue (e.g. casual conversation) which would have helped to create tension and is common in a lot of interrogation scenes. Instead we can pick out important elements of this typically structured interrogation scene such as using evidence and questioning the suspect until found guilty.
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