Interrogated with Intellectual Disabilities: The Risks of False Confession

Area of Science:

• Forensic Psychology
• Criminal Justice
• Disability Studies

Background:

• False confessions contribute to wrongful convictions, with over 245 exonerations documented.
• Custodial interrogations disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, including individuals with intellectual disabilities.
• Existing legal protections like Miranda waivers and Due Process reviews offer limited defense for this group.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the heightened risks of false confessions among individuals with intellectual disabilities during police interrogations.
• To analyze the prevalence of intellectual disability indicators in exonerated individuals who falsely confessed.
• To propose policy and legal reforms to safeguard vulnerable suspects.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 245 exonerations from the National Registry of Exonerations (as of June 2, 2017) involving false confessions.
• Identification of individuals with indicia of intellectual disability within the analyzed dataset.
• Review of legal scholarship on interrogation tactics and judicial safeguards.

Main Results:

• Over 25% of individuals exonerated for false confessions displayed indicators of intellectual disability.
• This rate significantly exceeds the prevalence of intellectual disability in the general and incarcerated populations.
• Vulnerabilities are present at every stage of the custodial interrogation process.

Conclusions:

• Individuals with intellectual disabilities face extreme risks of false confessions due to interrogation pressures.
• Current legal safeguards are insufficient to protect innocent individuals with intellectual disabilities.
• Policy and doctrinal changes are necessary to prevent wrongful convictions stemming from false confessions.