About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

34 Law & Hum. Behav. 1 (2010)

handle is hein.journals/lwhmbv34 and id is 1 raw text is: Law Hum Behav (2010) 34:1-2 DOI 10.1007/s10979-009-9213-9 INTRO((CT( )N An American Psychology-Law Society Scientific Review Paper on Police Interrogation and Confession William C. Thompson Published online: 21 January 2010 © American Psychology-Law Society/Division 41 of the American Psychological Association 2009 This issue of Law & Human Behavior contains a special article, Police-Induced Confessions: Risk Factors and Recommendations, by Saul M. Kassin, Steven A. Drizin, Thomas Grisso, Gisli H. Gudjonsson, Richard A. Leo, and Allison D. Redlich. This article is a Scientific Review Paper of the American Psychology-Law Society (AP-LS), Division 41 of the American Psychological Association. It is only the second such paper to be authorized and approved by AP-LS in its 42 year history. A major goal of AP-LS is to apply the knowledge and insights of psychology to important issues arising in the legal system. Members of AP-LS speak to the legal com- munity and the public in a variety of ways, including publications and presentations, expert testimony, and amicus briefs. In most cases, these communications reflect the perspective of individual authors and experts. There are times, however, when it is helpful for the organization itself to speak. By authorizing and endorsing Scientific Review Papers, the Society makes known the consensus views of its members and lends its authority to the con- clusions reached. Scientific Review Papers are not merely the opinions of their authors, they are vetted and reviewed to assure they reflect the best research and analysis the Society has to offer. In 1995, the AP-LS Executive Committee first approved an initiative to write Scientific Review Papers summa- rizing the psychological research in specific policy areas (Wiener, 1998). The purpose of such papers was to: (a) plan the foundation for science in translation briefs; (b) represent in an objective report the litera- ture in an area ripe for litigation and/or legislation, and (c) educate others (psychologists, lawyers, leg- islators, and the public) about contributions that psychological knowledge can make to policy debates (quoted in Wiener, 1998). The first Scientific Review Paper, approved by AP-LS in 1998, concerned eyewitness identification (Wells, Small, Penrod, Malpass, Fulero, & Brimacombe, 1998). That paper proved extremely influential in subsequent policy debates about line-ups and other eyewitness identification procedures. By providing an intellectual framework for analysis of systemic factors that affect eyewitness accu- racy, and by distilling specific policy recommendations from a broad array of research, it set the agenda for policy discussion and channeled those discussions in productive directions. The paper was the foundation for a subsequent National Institute of Justice policy paper (Technical Working Group for Eyewitness Evidence, 1999). Many of its recommendations, such as procedures for composing line-ups and instructing witnesses, are beginning to be implemented nationwide. The Scientific Review Paper that appears in this issue is the product of a lengthy process of review. Saul Kassin initiated the process by proposing, in late 2005, that a Review Paper on police interrogation and confession be drafted. His written proposal provided background on the state of psychological science in the area and made a strong argument that the time had come for AP-LS to present an authoritative review of existing research and to offer analysis and recommendations on key policy issues. A key factor motivating the paper was the surprising finding, from studies of post-conviction DNA exonerations, that false 1 Springer W. C. Thompson (®) Department of Criminology, Law & Society, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA e-mail: William.Thompson@uci.edu; wcthomps@uci.edu

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most