In the wake of DNA exonerations involving false confessions, a number of social scientists have recommended a policy of electronically recording entire interrogations. Over the years, many law enforcement professionals have embraced the practice. Yet others have expressed a concern about adverse effects on police, suspects, judges, and juries. Despite the importance of the issue, the only research on the subject consists of self-report data from interviews of police who have taped interrogations. In general, these interviews have shown that police self-report high levels of satisfaction. However, these data are limited by the absence of objective measures of actual impact.
Drawing on social psychological theories of self awareness, accountability, and social perception, and employing a multi-method approach in both laboratory and field settings, the proposed research will address four social-behavioral questions concerning the presumed impact of recording interrogations. The objective is to address four key behavioral questions: (1) What does video recording reveal about the memorial accuracy of police reports of interrogations and can the tapes be used to increase their accuracy? (2) Does video recording alter the behavior of investigators during interrogation? (3) Does the video recording of interrogations affect suspects, for example, inhibiting the extent to which they waive Miranda rights, talk to police, and provide a statement? (4) Does exposure to interrogation tapes and police reports informed by these tapes increase fact-finding accuracy or bias jurors in cases containing confession evidence?
In light of the active policy relevance of the proposed studies, it is hoped that the results obtained will have a range of broad impacts by providing empirical answers to timely questions, advancing the use of science in the criminal justice system, and modeling a scientist/practitioner collaborative precedent for other areas of law and social science.
