Why People Confess

Throughout my career I have been amazed to see people suspected of a crime walk into an interview room with a seasoned detective and agree to speak without counsel present. I then become additionally amazed when these same people confess to an act that sometimes results in a life of incarceration. Even though this behavior defies logic the scenario repeats itself again and again.

As a detective it became obvious to me: the more I understood why suspects confess, the more I could use it to my advantage. Some detectives only want to know the "formula" of how to conduct an interview and not necessarily why any one formula or technique works. Consulting companies make a lot of money training detectives in interrogation techniques, teaching them when and what to say to a suspect during an interview. I have attended several of these training sessions and have noticed very little time is spent on whysuspects are willing to confess to a crime knowing they will probably suffer negative consequences.

To understand the "why" we must start by examining human nature. It is human nature to want to be free from stress. Stress manifests itself with physiological and psychological cues. A person under stress will sometimes sweat and have dry mouth, nervous twitches and involuntary eye movements. Training in statement analysis reveals the mind's attempt to lessen the stress of telling a lie. This can be observed within common words and phrases used during deception. Stress over long periods of time has been linked to serious medical conditions. The natural reaction of the mind and body to stress is to eliminate it. This human and almost automatic reaction to stress is what is used by detectives to help secure confessions.

Studies have shown people who have committed crimes will, most of the time, have guilt or regret associated with their actions. Guilt and regret left unchecked will build stress and anxiety within a person. One of the main ways to relieve some of this stress is to tell another person, "sharing" the burden of the act. If a detective can create an atmosphere where a person's stress can be relieved even momentarily, just as a psychologist lessens the anxiety of a patient, then the success rate for truthful confessions rises.