I would tend to believe that this happens more often than we think… I have never been questioned or even held by police, but I can imagine how stressful it must be for someone to be interrogated – even if they didn’t do the crime they’re being accused of doing.
I think back to the many times I’ve seen angry parents questioning children. Specifically one time when I saw the mother yelling and screaming (practically in a rage) at a 9 or 10 year old boy because she couldn’t find her car keys. The mother was fierce – very scary I’d imagine for a child to be screamed at that way – who had apparently been playing with the keys earlier. The kid was sobbing, scared and did not know where the keys were. The mother was ridiculous. I still remember she would scream "Did you put them in the drawer?!" The kid would answer "Yes" just to have the mother stop screaming. She flipped the drawer out on the ground – no keys. Again, screaming and yelling at the crying child she says "Are they in the kitchen?!" "Yes" he cries. This went on for what seemed like 10 minutes. It was unbearable!
This child was being abused. He was a kid. He plays with things. Even if he was told not to touch the keys, the mother should have more sense than the child, and should have put the keys in a safe place. Reading this story makes me think about how adults could feel like children at the hands of detectives and police. They think you’ve done something wrong (whether or not you actually have) and they are going to tear into you in the hopes of wearing you down enough to say anything to get out of the situation.
I am absolutely FOR the idea of video taping all interrogations – it might be a bit costly, but will surely help quell any issues surrounding a person’s rights – even if they are the real criminals.
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Innocent suspects confess under pressure – LiveScience – MSNBC.com
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