Moving beyond precautionary reforms: The need for a positive, collaborative effort for improving practice in the interrogation room

Christian A. Meissner, University of Texas at El Paso
Maria Hartwig, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York

Abstract

The White Paper (Kassin, Drizin, Grisso, Gudjonsson, Leo, & Redlich, in press) suggests important reforms that will reduce the likelihood of false confessions resulting from police interrogation. Unfortunately, the research literature has largely focused on errors in the interrogation process leading to false confessions, to the exclusion of developing alternative, empirically-based approaches to interrogation that might provide a viable alternative to current practice. We believe it is important that the field adopt a positive, collaborative approach if we are to engage the criminal justice system in meaningful reform. By partnering with practitioners to develop approaches that are more diagnostic, we believe that the precautionary recommendations offered in the current White Paper can be supplemented by methods that carry the support of both the scientific and law enforcement communities.