Kids, Cops, and Confessions: Inside the Interrogation Room (Youth, Crime, and Justice, 3)

"Juveniles possess less maturity, intelligence, and competence than adults, heightening their vulnerability in the justice system. For this reason, states try juveniles in separate courts and use different sentencing standards than for adults. Yet, when police bring kids in for questioning, they use the same interrogation tactics they use for adults, including trickery, deception, and lying to elicit confessions or to produce incriminating evidence against the defendants. In Kids, Cops, and Confessions, Barry Feld offers the first report of what actually happens when police question juveniles. Drawing on remarkable data, Feld analyzes interrogation tapes and transcripts, police reports, juvenile court filings and sentences, and probation and sentencing reports, describing in rich detail what actually happens in the interrogation room. Contrasting routine interrogation and false confessions enables police, lawyers, and judges to identify interrogations that require enhanced scrutiny, to adopt policies to protect citizens, and to assure reliability and integrity of the justice system. Feld has produced an invaluable look at how the justice system really works"--Provided by publisher Juveniles possess less maturity, intelligence, and competence than adults, which heightens their vulnerability in the justice system. For this reason, states try juveniles in separate courts and use different sentencing standards than for adults. Yet, when police bring kids in for questioning, they use the same tactics they use for adults to elicit confessions or to produce incriminating evidence against them. In KIDS, COPS, AND CONFESSIONS, Barry Feld offers the first report of what actually happens when police question juveniles. Analyzing interrogation tapes and transcripts, police reports, juvenile court filings, and probation and sentencing reports, Feld describes in rich detail what actually happens in the interrogation room. Feld covers both police strategies and juvenile offenders’ responses, examining topics such as where and when police questioning occurs, juveniles’ attitudes in the interrogation room, and how often police obtain confessions, admissions, or other evidence. He argues that certain factors, like the length of interrogations or the decision to waive or invoke Miranda, significantly affect case outcomes. The book concludes with a comparison between routine felony interrogations with those that elicited false confessions. An invaluable and unprecedented study, KIDS, COPS, AND CONFESSIONS, provides police, lawyers, judges, and legislators with the information they need to adopt policies to protect citizens, and ultimately to assure reliability and integrity in the juvenile justice system. BOOK JACKET. Juveniles Possess Less Maturity, Intelligence, And Competence Than Adults, Which Heightens Their Vulnerability In The Justice System. For This Reason, States Try Juveniles In Separate Courts And Use Different Sentencing Standards Than For Adults. Yet, When Police Bring Kids In For Questioning, They Use The Same Tactics They Use For Adults To Elicit Confessions Or To Produce Incriminating Evidence To Use Against Them. In Kids, Cops, And Confessions, The Author Offers The First Report Of What Actually Happens When Police Question Juveniles. Analyzing Interrogation Tapes And Transcripts, Police Reports, Juvenile Court Filings, And Probation And Sentencing Reports, He Describes In Rich Detail What Actually Happens Inside The Interrogation Room. Interrogating Criminal Suspects: Law On The Books And Law In Action -- Questioning Juveniles: Law And Developmental Psychology -- To Waive Or Not To Waive: That Is The Question -- Police Interrogation: On The Record -- Juveniles Respond To Interrogation: Outcomes And Consequences -- Justice By Geography: Context, Race, And Confessions -- True And False Confessions: Different Outcomes, Different Processes -- Policy Reforms. Barry C. Feld. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.