"Read him his rights." We all recognize this line from cop dramas. But what happens afterward? In this book, Richard Leo sheds light on a little-known corner of our criminal justice system - the police interrogation.Incriminating statements are necessary to solve crimes, but suspects almost never have reason to provide them. Therefore, as Leo shows, crime units have developed sophisticated interrogation methods that rely on persuasion, manipulation, and deception to move a subject from denial to admission, serving to shore ...
Read More
"Read him his rights." We all recognize this line from cop dramas. But what happens afterward? In this book, Richard Leo sheds light on a little-known corner of our criminal justice system - the police interrogation.Incriminating statements are necessary to solve crimes, but suspects almost never have reason to provide them. Therefore, as Leo shows, crime units have developed sophisticated interrogation methods that rely on persuasion, manipulation, and deception to move a subject from denial to admission, serving to shore up the case against him. Ostensibly aimed at uncovering truth, the structure of interrogation requires that officers act as an arm of the prosecution.Skilful and fair interrogation allows authorities to capture criminals and deter future crime. But Leo draws on extensive research to argue that confessions are inherently suspect and that coercive interrogation has led to false confession and wrongful conviction. He looks at police evidence in the court, the nature and disappearance of the brutal "third degree," the reforms of the mid-20th century, and how police can persuade suspects to waive their Miranda rights.An important study of the criminal justice system, "Police Interrogation and American Justice" raises unsettling questions. How should police be permitted to interrogate when society needs both crime control and due process? How can order be maintained yet justice served?
Read Less
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good in very good dust jacket. Ex-library. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 374 p. Audience: General/trade. LCCN 2007018771 Type of material Book Personal name Leo, Richard A., 1963-Main title Police interrogation and American justice / Richard A. Leo. Published/Created Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 2008. Description x, 374 p.; 25 cm. Links ISBN 9780674026483 (alk. paper) 0674026489 (alk. paper) LC classification HV8073.3. L46 2008 Contents Introduction--Police interrogation and the American adversary system--The third degree--Professionalizing police interrogation--The structure and psychology of American police interrogation--Constructing culpability--False confessions--Miscarriages of justice--Policy directions--Conclusion. LC Subjects Police questioning--United States. Interviewing in law enforcement--United States. Criminal investigation--United States. Notes Includes bibliographical references (p. 335-360) and index. Dewey class no. 363.25/40973 Geographic area code n-us---National bib no. GBA792915 National bib agency no. 014341648 Other system no. (OCoLC)ocn126227826 (OCoLC)126227826