NCJ Number
231286
Journal
Criminology and Criminal Justice Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2010 Pages: 243-259
Date Published
August 2010
Length
17 pages
Annotation
A case study is utilized to examine the investigative interview process of suspected offenders in the People's Republic of China (PRC).
Abstract
Criminal confessions following the questioning of suspects by police and prosecuting investigators is a problem in the People's Republic of China (PRC) in that some of these admissions of guilt result from the application of illegal methods of interviewing. The interview process is regulated by legislation and policy documents that in practice are frequently ignored; illegal pressures generate false confessions which have resulted in high profile cases of injustice. This article describes one such case. The article outlines the laws and regulations covering the interview of criminal suspects; explains why the regulations and law are often flouted; and considers proposals to promote the due process approach that exists primarily in documents at the moment. Notes and references (Published Abstract)