Abstract

In the 1950s, psychologist and former police officer John E. Reid changed the course of police work when he developed the Reid Technique for interrogation. The Reid Technique, primarily focused on intimidation, aggression, and observation of suspect behavior, is considered the gold standard in police interrogation and still remains a cornerstone of our modern legal system. However, due to this prominence, it has largely been subjected to scrutiny by scholars, who now assert that the Reid Technique practices are overly aggressive, inaccurate, and encourage wrongful convictions. 

The aggressive nature of the technique seems to have an extremely dangerous effect of eliciting coerced confessions from younger offenders, especially, likely due to their inexperience and mental immaturity. This study will cover reports of human psychology in regards to interrogations, as well as studies of notable cases in which false confessions obtained, but the offender was later exonerated.