Videos
Nancy Franklin TED Talk
“Who would confess to a murder they didn’t commit? Maybe you.” Ask any cop if they think someone would confess to a crime they didn’t commit, and most will say, “No way.” But the truth is, it happens—and now DNA evidence has proven it. This video shows just how easily the wrong tactics can lead to the wrong confession.
Coerced Confessions
In 2018, Thomas Perez Jr. contacted Fontana police to report his father missing. Instead of receiving assistance, he endured a 17-hour interrogation where detectives falsely claimed they had found his father’s body and fabricated evidence of Perez’s involvement. They also threatened to euthanize his dog, leading to a coerced confession to a murder that never occurred. Perez later attempted suicide in the interrogation room. His father was eventually found alive, and in 2024, the city settled a lawsuit with Perez for $900,000.
Dr. Saul Kassin
How powerful can a coercive interrogation technique be? Powerful enough to change a person’s perception of reality, that’s how powerful. Investigators need to be aware that the techniques they have been taught may be counterproductive or even dangerous. It is time that police practitioners have access to scientific research so they can make better decisions in the interview room.