Police Interrogations

A police interrogation involves a police officer interviewing someone who is believed to have committed a crime. The officer who conducts the interview is often called an interrogator, and the person being interviewed is commonly referred to as a suspect. The evidence pointing to the guilt of the suspect can range from mere suspicion to absolute certainty. Interrogators may differ on their goal when talking to the suspect. For instance, the interrogator may simply wish to obtain an admission of guilt from the suspect (i.e., confession), or the interrogator may wish to obtain a full story about the suspect’s involvement in the crime (or the suspect’s whereabouts when the crime was committed). Beyond those differences, there are also differences in how interrogations are conducted, as ...