The Psychology of False Confessions: Forty Years of Science and Practice (Wiley Series in Psychology of Crime, Policing and Law)

Provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the development of the science behind the psychology of false confessions Four decades ago, little was known or understood about false confessions and the reasons behind them. So much has changed since then due in part to the diligent work done by Gisli H. Gudjonsson. This eye-opening book by the Icelandic/British clinical forensic psychologist, who in the mid 1970s had worked as detective in Reykjavik, offers a complete and current analysis of how the study of the psychology of false confessions came about, including the relevant theories and empirical/experimental evidence base. It also provides a reflective review of the gradual development of the science and how it can be applied to real life cases. Based on Gudjonsson's personal account of the biggest murder investigations in Iceland's history, as well as other landmark cases, The Psychology of False Confessions: Forty Years of Science and Practice takes readers inside the minds of those who sit on both sides of the interrogation table to examine why confessions to crimes occur even when the confessor is innocent. Presented in three parts, the book covers how the science of studying false confessions emerged and grew to become a regular field of practice. It then goes deep into the investigation of the mid-1970s assumed murders of two men in Iceland and the people held responsible for them. It finishes with an in-depth psychological analysis of the confessions of the six people convicted. Written by an expert extensively involved in the development of the science and its application to real life cases Covers the most sensational murder cases in Iceland's history Deep analysis of the 'Reykjavik Confessions' adds crucial evidence to understanding how and why coerced-internalized false confessions occur, and their detrimental and lasting effects on memory The Psychology of False Confessions: Forty Years of Science and Practice is an important source book for students, academics, criminologists, and clinical, forensic, and social psychologists and psychiatrists.

Provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the development of the science behind the psychology of false confessions

Four decades ago, little was known or understood about false confessions and the reasons behind them. So much has changed since then due in part to the diligent work done by Gisli H. Gudjonsson. This eye-opening book by the Icelandic/British clinical forensic psychologist, who in the mid 1970s had worked as detective in Reykjavik, offers a complete and current analysis of how the study of the psychology of false confessions came about, including the relevant theories and empirical/experimental evidence base. It also provides a reflective review of the gradual development of the science and how it can be applied to real life cases.

Based on Gudjonsson's personal account of the biggest murder investigations in Iceland's history, as well as other landmark cases, The Psychology of False Confessions: Forty Years of Science and Practice takes readers inside the minds of those who sit on both sides of the interrogation table to examine why confessions to crimes occur even when the confessor is innocent. Presented in three parts, the book covers how the science of studying false confessions emerged and grew to become a regular field of practice. It then goes deep into the investigation of the mid-1970s assumed murders of two men in Iceland and the people held responsible for them. It finishes with an in-depth psychological analysis of the confessions of the six people convicted.

• Written by an expert extensively involved in the development of the science and its application to real life cases
• Covers the most sensational murder cases in Iceland's history
• Deep analysis of the 'Reykjavik Confessions' adds crucial evidence to understanding how and why coerced-internalized false confessions occur, and their detrimental and lasting effects on memory

The Psychology of False Confessions: Forty Years of Science and Practice is an important source book for students, academics, criminologists, and clinical, forensic, and social psychologists and psychiatrists.

Intro -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- About the Author -- Series Preface -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Icelandic Names -- The Psychology of False Confessions -- Introduction -- A Brief Review of my Cases on Disputed Confessions (1980-2016) -- The Structure and Content of the Book -- The Gudmundur and Geirfinnur Cases -- Part I The Emerging Science and Practice -- Chapter 1 An Era of Enquiry and Development -- My Early Research on Lie Detection -- The Sunday Times Experiment -- British Psychological Society Committees on Lie Detection -- Onward and Upward -- Conclusions -- Chapter 2 The Impact of Real-Life Cases on Legal Changes, Police Practice, and Science -- The Confait Case -- The Guildford Four -- The Birmingham Six -- The Tottenham Three (Engin Raghip) -- The Case of Judith Ward -- The Cardiff Three (Stephen Miller) -- The PEACE Model of Interviewing -- Summary and Conclusions -- Chapter 3 Interrogative Suggestibility -- The Experimental Approach -- The Individual Differences Approach -- The Gudjonsson and Clark Model -- Conclusions -- Chapter 4 The Psychology of False Confessions: The Theories -- Definitions of False Confession -- An Early Conceptual Framework -- The Kassin and Wrightsman Threefold Classification -- Critique of the Kassin-Wrightsman Classification -- Key Components That Elicit and Facilitate the Internalization Process -- Memory Distrust Syndrome -- The Five Sequential Steps -- Immediate Versus Delayed Suggestibility -- A Heuristic Model of Internalized False Confessions -- Conclusions -- Chapter 5 The Development of the Science: The Evidence Base -- Brief Summary of Theoretical Developments -- Landmark Early Studies on Police Interrogation -- False Confessions in Miscarriages of Justice Research -- Rate of Interrogation, Base Rate of Guilt, and False Confessions8 -- Type of Offence Falsely Confessed To "Provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the development of the science behind the psychology of false confessions. Four decades ago, little was known or understood about false confessions and the reasons behind them. So much has changed since then due in part to the diligent work done by Gisli H. Gudjonsson. This eye-opening book by the Icelandic/British clinical forensic psychologist, who in the mid 1970s had worked as detective in Reykjavik, offers a complete and current analysis of how the study of the psychology of false confessions came about, including the relevant theories and empirical/experimental evidence base. It also provides a reflective review of the gradual development of the science and how it can be applied to real life cases. Based on Gudjonsson's personal account of the biggest murder investigations in Iceland's history, as well as other landmark cases, The Psychology of False Confessions: Forty Years of Science and Practice takes readers inside the minds of those who sit on both sides of the interrogation table to examine why confessions to crimes occur even when the confessor is innocent. Presented in three parts, the book covers how the science of studying false confessions emerged and grew to become a regular field of practice. It then goes deep into the investigation of the mid-1970s assumed murders of two men in Iceland and the people held responsible for them. It finishes with an in-depth psychological analysis of the confessions of the six people convicted."-- Provided by publisher