Videotaped Interrogations and Confessions: What’s Obvious in Hindsight May Not Be in Foresight

Abstract

As expressed in the White Paper, the time has indeed come to make transparency of custodial interrogations the rule, rather than the exception. Widespread implementation of the recommendation to video record interrogations in their entirety and with a camera perspective that permits a clear view of both the suspect and interrogator(s) will achieve this goal admirably. The White Paper authors also imply that such video recordings will likely make it easier for later fact finders to detect and reject false confessions. For the sake of the innocent, all hope that this will be the case; however, anecdotal evidence and, more important, relevant psychological science suggest that it would be prudent to temper expectations in this regard.