Video Recording Custodial Interrogations: Implications of Psychological Science for Policy and Practice

Abstract

Many of the wrongful convictions that have been brought to light over the last decade have their roots in the interrogation phase of criminal investigations where coerced or false confessions are sometimes extracted from detained crime suspects. A “simple” solution has been advanced to correct this particular problem: video record all custodial interrogations. Certainly, such a procedural modification has the potential to improve the administration of justice; however, prudence calls for some consideration of its possible pitfalls. Toward that end, we briefly review some relevant psychological science that points to significant limitations inherent in the video-recording practice. Some limitations can be offset with proper implementation of the practice, and in these instances we provide research-based recommendations for achieving it. Other drawbacks, however, cannot be as easily rectified, and in these cases criminal justice practitioners and mental health professionals should heed the old adage, “forewarned is forearmed,” when making use of video-recorded interrogations.