NCJ Number
153401
Date Published
1991
Length
87 pages
Annotation
Police officers have at their disposal many techniques, all involving manipulation of the spoken word, to assist them in successfully completing an interrogation.
Abstract
Prior to entering the interrogation room, the officer must know all the facts pertinent to the case and be familiar with the physical evidence. This book outlines many verbal techniques that can be used to gain a suspect's confession, a confession that will be admissible in court and will be accepted by the judge and jury. Some of the techniques described here are referred to as substitution, repetition, appeal to authority, blame the victim, publicity technique, face-saving technique, lawyer gimmick, hot and cold, flattery, false statement technique, and appeal to intelligence. While stopping short of physical violence, these techniques are designed to inflict mental anguish severe enough to elicit evidence or a confession.