Coerced False Confession Case Study

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There are currently two recognised types of coerced false confession, these being coerced compliant and coerced internalized false confessions (Gudjohnsson, 1992). In order to assess whether Mr Kasab’s confession was coerced, it is important to first outline the characteristics of each type before assessing the extent to which they may or may not correspond with his statement. A coerced compliant false confession typically occurs when a suspect, though aware that they did not commit the crime for which they are being accused, confesses after coming to believe that the short term benefits of confessing, such as the opportunity to escape aversive interview conditions, outweigh the long term costs (Leo, 2009). Kassin and Wrightsman (1985) suggested that coerced compliant false confessions most commonly arise due to “the coerciveness of the interrogation process” (p. 77). This notion is supported by the fact that certain interrogative techniques…show more content…
The construction of a post-confession narrative is therefore usually dependant on supplementary information offered to the suspect by the interviewer, typically in the form of leading questions or suggested scenarios (Conti, 1999; Ofshe & Leo, 1997). The interviewer in this case however did not ask Mr Kasab any questions which could be perceived as leading, nor did she offer any information relating to the crime or scenarios implicating Mr Kasab. Rather Mr Kasab voluntarily offered information pertaining to his involvement in the attacks even when informed by the interviewer that he was not “under any obligation to make any confessional statement” and that it was up to him whether he wished to give such a statement or

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