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Police Interrogation and Confessions

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Psychology in Legal Contexts

Part of the book series: Oxford Socio-Legal Studies ((OSLS))

Abstract

Although many Continental jurists regard a confession of criminal guilt as an inherently unreliable form of evidence, courts and juries in England generally consider such statements to have high probative value. Although mediaeval judicial procedures designed to extract confessions from accused persons have long been discarded, special weight is still attached to such evidence, rendering it admissible on the basis of presumed reliability, notwithstanding its hearsay quality. Conviction for even the most serious offences can be based upon a totally uncorroborated confession.

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Authors
  1. Marquita Inman
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. SSRC Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, Wolfson College, Oxford, UK

    Sally M. A. Lloyd-Bostock (Senior Research Officer) (Senior Research Officer)

Copyright information

© 1981 Marquita Inman

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Inman, M. (1981). Police Interrogation and Confessions. In: Lloyd-Bostock, S.M.A. (eds) Psychology in Legal Contexts. Oxford Socio-Legal Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-04917-2_4

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