FORENSICS: False confessions

Imagine being locked in a police interrogation room for 48 hours straight - you haven't eaten, barely slept, your anxiety levels are at an all-time high, and you’re being intensely questioned about a crime that you haven’t committed. You’re innocent, so the truth will come out, right?  In Australia, it’s estimated that up to a third of wrongful convictions involve a false confession. In the US, of the 258 wrongful convictions overturned by the Innocence Project, 25% involved a false confession.  In this episode, Dr Hayley Cullen reveals the psychology behind what leads to false confessions, and how false memories can be created in the minds of people under interrogation. If the episode affects you, the number for Life Line is 13 11 14. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.