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Controversial Police Interrogation Technique That Often Results in False Confessions Abandoned by Influential Training Consultant
by Matt Clarke
In 1931, a commission to investigate Prohibition-era corruption appointed by President Hoover issued the Wickersham Report. The report criticized the so-called Third Degree, which was the standard police interrogation technique of the time and involved beating a suspect until he or she confessed, then lying …
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More from this issue:
- Parallel Construction: Building Criminal Cases Using Secret, Unconstitutional Surveillance
- New York Times Investigation Spotlights NYPD Practice of ‘Testilying’, by Derek Gilna
- New Washington State Law Removes ‘Actual Malice’ Roadblock in Police Prosecutions, by Derek Gilna
- Arizona Supreme Court Announces Defendants May Claim Both Self-Defense and Misidentification, by Richard Resch
- Iowa Supreme Court Announces Indecent Exposure Statute Does Not Apply to Still Images of Genitals, by Dale Chappell
- $175,000 Settlement Reached in Lawsuit Alleging Officers Literally Tried to Feed Graffiti Suspects to K-9s, by Christopher Zoukis
- New Jersey Supreme Court Interprets Criminal Harassment Statute to Avoid First Amendment Problem, by Christopher Zoukis
- Prosecutors’ Offices Taking Thousands in Grant Money, Fueling Crackdown on Sex Buyers, by Steve Horn
- $325,000 Paid by Sheriff’s Office to Settle Fatal Shooting Case Over Not Wearing Seat Belt, by Derek Gilna
- Privacy Advocates Concerned About Google AI and Pentagon Drone Surveillance, by Derek Gilna
- Intellectual Disability and Wrongful Conviction in Death Cases: A Lethal Combination, by David Reutter
- Philadelphia Tests Automating the Bail Risk Assessment Process, by David Reutter
- Eighth Circuit: Teague Analysis Bars Retroactive Application of Padilla Ineffective Assistance of Counsel Claim, by Christopher Zoukis
- The ‘Office Shuffle’: Ohio Police Recycle Bad Apples Among Rural Departments, by Matthew Clarke
- Former Civil Rights Lawyer Krasner Puts Justice Reform into Practice as New Philly DA, by Derek Gilna
- Mississippi Supreme Court Reverses Conviction Ruling; State Failed to Prove ‘Constructive Possession’ of Marijuana, by Dale Chappell
- Sixth Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity for Officers in No-Knock Home Entry Case, by Richard Resch
- Sentencing Court’s Grant of Prior Custody Credit was Not ‘Clear Error’ to Allow for Removal, by Dale Chappell
- NYU Students Form Dollar Bail Brigade to Help Free New Yorkers Held on $1 Bail, by Christopher Zoukis
- Illinois Supreme Court Strikes Down Part of Two Stalking Statutes as Unconstitutional, by Richard Resch
- Texas District Attorney Stops Prosecuting Trace Drug Cases
- Trenton Police Officers’ ‘Violent’ Comments Captured on Body Camera, by Derek Gilna
- Kansas Supreme Court Rules Grant of ‘Use’ Immunity Insufficient to Compel Testimony, by Richard Resch
- Massachusetts High Court Vacates Felony-Murder Conviction for Failure to Suppress Cellphone Search, by Christopher Zoukis
- Study: Unionized Police? Increased Misconduct, by Derek Gilna
- Utah Supreme Court Changes Course on Admissibility of Preliminary Hearing Testimony at Trial, by Christopher Zoukis
- 9th Circuit: District Court Improperly Deferred to Nevada Supreme Court in AEDPA Analysis, by David Reutter
- California Supreme Court Grants Habeas Petition and Vacates Capital Murder Conviction Due to False Expert Testimony at Trial, by Richard Resch
- Controversial Police Interrogation Technique That Often Results in False Confessions Abandoned by Influential Training Consultant, by Matthew Clarke
- $42 Million Paid Out in Decade of New Jersey Police Criminality, Abuse
- First Circuit Modifies Emergency Aid Doctrine for Warrantless Entry of a Home, by Richard Resch
- Texas Quietly Authorizes Nation’s First Public Safety Employees Treatment Courts, by Matthew Clarke
- Kansas Supreme Court Nixes Probation After Full Sentence of Confinement Served, by Edward Lyon
- Eleventh Circuit Holds Court May Not Dismiss 2255 Motion by Invoking Collateral Attack Waiver Sua Sponte, by Dale Chappell
- $300,000 Settlement in Suit Over Death of Intoxicated Man Abandoned by Deputies, by Matthew Clarke
- Wisconsin’s 6,000-plus Untested Rape Kits Include Over 2,000 Involving Child Victims, by Matthew Clarke
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals: Furtive Gestures, Brief Visit Not Probable Cause, by Dale Chappell
- Qualified Immunity: The Supreme Court’s Unlawful Assault on Civil Rights and Police Accountability, by Jay Schweikert
- Asset Forfeitures Fund New York DA’s Office Bonuses
- U.S. District Court in Georgia Holds Spousal Testimonial Privilege Applies to Pre-Marital Events
- N.C. Supreme Court Rules Deficient Indictment Not Jurisdictional and Issue Can’t be Raised for First Time on Appeal, by Dale Chappell
- The Sex Offender Registry: It’s Not What You Think, by Sandy Rozek
- Congressional Spending Bill Provision ‘Clouds’ Constitutional Rights in Criminal Probes, by Steve Horn
- Seventh Circuit Finds Plain Error Where Guilty Plea Accepted Without Rule 11 Colloquy, by Christopher Zoukis
- Guilty Plea Does Not Foreclose Challenge To Constitutionality Of Conviction, U.S. Supreme Court Decides, by Brandon Sample
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Holds Defendant Entitled to Self-Defense Jury Charge if There is Any Evidence to Support It, by Matthew Clarke
- From the Editor, by Richard Resch
- N.Y.’s Top Court Clarifies Freedom of Information Exemption for Disclosure of Confidential Sources of Information, by Christopher Zoukis
- News in Brief
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Dissenter Excoriates SCOTUS for Denying Certiorari in Challenge to Constitutionality of Nitrogen Hypoxia Execution, Feb. 1, 2026
- D.C. Federal Court Holds Blocking Prison Reform Advocate’s Access to Federal Prisoners May Violate First Amendment and Due Process, Feb. 1, 2026
- Eleventh Circuit Holds Estate Cannot Sue Jailers Who Followed Medical Personnel Advice That Led to Detainee’s Death, Feb. 1, 2026
- Sixth Circuit Reinstates Lawsuit Over Failure to Properly Classify Violent Prisoners at Kentucky Jail, Feb. 1, 2026
- Eleventh Circuit Holds Alabama County May Be Liable for Policy of Providing Inadequate Jail Medical Care, Feb. 1, 2026
- Tenth Circuit Reverses Summary Dismissal of Claim Over Prisoner’s Suicide in Oklahoma Jail, Feb. 1, 2026
- Deportation of Kenyan Priest Working as Texas Prison Guard Highlights TDCJ’s Dependence on Immigrant Staff, Feb. 1, 2026
- Ninth Circuit Reinstates Wheelchair-Bound Washington State Prisoner’s Suit Over Failure to Accommodate Disabilities During Transport, Feb. 1, 2026
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Announces Adoption of Transferred Intent Self-Defense, Jan. 1, 2026
- Eleventh Circuit Upholds Dismissal of Six Female Alabama Jail Detainees’ Sexual Assault Suit, Jan. 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Exonerated Former Prisoner Wins Election for Chief Record Keeper in New Orleans, Jan. 1, 2026. Prisoner Legal Assistance, Juries, Public Records, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment.
- Chicago Pays Exonerated Prisoners $7.5 Million, Bringing Total to $33.75 Million for Wrongful Convictions, Jan. 1, 2026. Wrongful Conviction, Bribery/Extortion/Theft, Fabrication of Evidence, Withholding of Exculpatory Evidence, Withdrawal.
- SCOTUS Overturns Oklahoma Prisoner’s Death Sentence After More than 25 Years on Death Row, Nov. 1, 2025. Ex Post Facto, Good Time, Wrongful Conviction, Habeas Corpus, Wrongful Imprisonment, Pardons/Clemency, First Step Act, Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act (CAFRA), Specific Offenses, Controlled Substances, Weapons, Accuracy of Information, Depraved Indifference Murder, Evidence - Circumstantial, Theft, Failure to Disclose, Perjury/Perjured Testimony, Evidence - Failure to Disclose, New Trial - Motions for, Pleas Linked to Cooperation, Evidence - Destruction/Fabrication/Manipulation of, Selective Prosecution/Enforcement, Improper Comments, Official Report, Withholding of Exculpatory Evidence, Exculpatory Evidence - Disclosure Obligations.
- Sixth Circuit Upholds $45 Million Verdict for Wrongfully Convicted Former Ohio Prisoner, Aug. 1, 2025. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment.
- Two Exonerated Illinois Prisoners Win Settlements Totaling $14.5 Million, Aug. 1, 2025. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment.
- Fourth Circuit Revives Wrongful Conviction Claim of Exonerated Maryland Prisoner, State Pays Him $3.1 Million, Aug. 1, 2025. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment.
- $22.5 Million Verdict Arrives Too Late for Wrongfully Convicted Illinois Prisoner, July 15, 2025. Wrongful Conviction, Confessions - Coerced, Confessions and Statements of Defendant.
- $12 Million for Former California Prisoner Exonerated After 17 Years, July 15, 2025. Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment, Coercive Interrogations.
- $7.75 Million Settlement for Exonerated North Carolina Prisoner, June 1, 2025. Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment.
- $13 Million Awarded to Exonerated Massachusetts Prisoner for Wrongful Conviction, June 1, 2025. Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment.





