NCJ Number
234468
Journal
Police Quarerterly Volume: 14 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2011 Pages: 5-24
Date Published
March 2011
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study investigated offenders' decisions to confess their crimes to police.
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the offender's decisionmaking in crime confession during police interrogation. On the basis of a sample of 211 incarcerated offenders, the study showed that 21 percent of offenders changed their mind about confessing or not their crime following police interrogation. Logit regression indicated that contextual factors were associated with the offender's final decision to confess after controlling for the offender's initial decision. Multinomial regression further showed that offenders with a lengthy criminal record, advised by a lawyer, and facing drug-related charges characterized by weak police evidence were less likely to confess to the police, even when they initially planned to do so. Findings are discussed in light of the literature on crime confession. (Published Abstract)