[Withdrawal of confession. A medico-legal study]

With the support of two expert opinions drawn from his medico-legal practice, the author will examine the motives behind the retracted confessions of persons held for trial ou criminal charges. There are some false confessions, due to psychopathic problems, which, if detected in time, can prove the innocence of the person even before he is brought to trial. Some retractions are due to outside pressures but the most interesting are those of innocent people, and the motives for which the confession of a now existent crime has been obtained. The author will devote particular attention to the prudence necessary in questioning, and the reason why police interrogations, in France, are rightly limited to 48 hours. The particularly injurious effect of the lack of sleep in the course of these interrogations, will be emphasized.