Humane Interrogation Strategies Predict Suspects’ Decisions to Confess, Cooperate, and Disclose Information

Take Home Messages: The techniques used to interrogate criminal suspects can profoundly impact their decisions to confess, cooperate, or disclose information. The source article assessed how interrogation strategies characterized by humanity, rapport, confrontation, and dominance predicted interrogation outcomes in a sample of 249 incarcerated individuals in the United States (U.S.). Survey respondents who reported experiencing humane interrogation strategies were more likely to cooperate completely with police, disclose incriminating information, and confess, whereas interrogations involving confrontation and dominance did not impact their interrogation outcomes. Humane interrogation strategies are likely the most productive for police to adopt in criminal interrogations. Police should avoid using interrogation approaches that focus on dominance and confrontation, which can be classified under the broader umbrella of accusatorial methods.