Police Interrogation Tactics in a Sex Crimes Case
Talking to the police is never a good idea in a sex crimes case. There is no easier way for the police to prove their case against you than if they secure a confession, which is why they work so hard to talk you into making admissions during interrogations. What many people do not understand is that the police do not have to tell you the truth. They can, and do, lie during interrogations to try to convince sex crime suspects to confess. Law enforcement officers go through intense interrogation training to learn how to secure confessions from suspects by trickery, manipulation, and lies.
The Supreme Court has held that the police can lie to you to secure a confession. This is truly amazing because it is a crime for anyone else involved in a case to lie. For example, if you lied under oath, you would be charged with perjury. Prosecutors and defense attorneys would be disciplined and possibly lose their license to practice law for lying in a criminal case. Essentially, the police are the only people who have permission to lie when they are pursuing a criminal matter.
Never Make a Confession Without an Attorney
Regardless of your guilt or innocence, you should never make a confession to the police without an attorney. There are several reasons you should not confess, including that the police may not have the evidence necessary to convict you. They might lie and say that they have evidence that they don’t really have just to secure a confession. Furthermore, even if they do have evidence, there may be problems with how the evidence was collected. Evidence that was obtained illegally may not be used against you in court.
Law enforcement officers are trained to intimidate suspects, basically scaring a confession out of them. They often make threats and promises to make you feel like if you confess now, they’ll go easier on you. They can spend hours asking you questions and accusing you of lying. The more answers you provide, the more material they have to use against you. If law enforcement officers begin to question you, you should first tell them you aren’t speaking to them without an attorney present. Then do not say anything else until they let you go, or your attorney arrives.
False Confessions and Lie Detector Tests
You should also never agree to take a polygraph test, even if you believe that it will exonerate you. Polygraphs are not reliable tests, and the results are very subjective. If you are nervous and anxious, an honest answer may show that you are being dishonest. The police can lie to you, including lying about the results of your polygraph test. If you passed the test, a common tactic is to tell you that the results show that you were lying and that you are guilty of the alleged crime.
The number of false confessions that police are able to obtain is astounding and tragic. Human instinct often tells suspects to cooperate with police so that they won’t think you’re guilty. The truth is that the police going into interrogations with the assumption that you are guilty, and when you cooperate with them, it only makes their job easier. Their goal is not to find out if you are innocent or guilty. Their goal is to obtain evidence and information that helps them prove that you are guilty.
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