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Does video recording inhibit crime suspects? Evidence from a fully randomized field experiment
Saul M Kassin1, Melissa B Russano2, Aria D Amrom1
1Department of Psychology.
Law and Human Behavior
|February 15, 2019
Summary
Informing crime suspects that their interrogations are video-recorded does not affect their behavior or confessions. This study on police interrogations found no significant impact on suspect cooperation or case outcomes when cameras were disclosed.
Area of Science:
- Criminology
- Forensic Psychology
- Law Enforcement Technology
Background:
- The impact of video recording on police interrogations is a critical area of study for legal and ethical practices.
- Transparency in recording methods, particularly in two-party consent states, raises questions about potential suspect inhibition.
- Previous research has explored various factors influencing interrogation dynamics, but the effect of disclosed video recording remains debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether informing crime suspects that their interrogations are being video-recorded influences their behavior, admissions, or confessions.
- To assess the effect of disclosed video recording on suspect cooperation, including Miranda rights waivers and overall case disposition.
- To provide empirical evidence regarding the hypothesis that transparency in recording inhibits suspects during police interrogations.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 122 crime suspects in partnership with a small city police department.
- Suspects were randomly assigned to either be informed or not informed that their interrogations were being video-recorded.
- Interrogation sessions were coded for suspect speech, Miranda waivers, admissions/confessions, and detective perceptions; case dispositions were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Suspects informed of video recording spoke as much and as often as those not informed.
- There were no significant differences in Miranda waivers, admissions, confessions, or detective perceptions between the two groups.
- Ultimate case dispositions showed no differences, suggesting disclosed recording did not alter outcomes.
Conclusions:
- The findings do not support the hypothesis that informing suspects about video recording inhibits them or alters case dispositions.
- Transparency in interrogation recording, even in two-party consent contexts, appears not to negatively impact suspect behavior or legal outcomes.
- Empirical limitations include concealed cameras and exclusion of juvenile, homicide, or drug crime cases; further research is warranted.
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