Duped: Why Innocent People Confess - and Why We Believe Their Confessions

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Why do people confess to crimes they didn't commit? This phenomenon occurs frequently in various settings, including police stations and schools. Psychologist Saul Kassin, a leading expert on false confessions, explores how interrogators manipulate innocent individuals into admitting guilt and how the justice system perpetuates the belief in these confessions. Through compelling case studies, original research, and insights from the Innocence Project, Kassin illustrates how innocent men, women, and children, under extreme stress from psychological interrogation tactics, are coerced into confessions, regardless of the crime's severity. These false confessions not only taint forensic evidence and witness testimonies but also lead to wrongful guilty pleas, impacting defendants' lives long after exoneration by DNA evidence. Since the 1980s, Kassin has been a pioneer in studying interrogations and advocating for those wrongfully convicted due to police-induced confessions. He examines high-profile cases like the Central Park jogger and Amanda Knox, alongside stories of everyday individuals ensnared in false confessions. The book concludes with actionable solutions and proposals for legislative reform, addressing the stigma surrounding confessions and advocating for necessary changes in the criminal justice system.