Don’t Let the Reid Technique Turn Your Drug-Fueled Adventure Into a Kafkaesque Nightmare

As its name suggests, the criminal justice system is supposed to intervene when police and prosecutors behave unfairly or fail to respect the rights of defendants.  This is why the courts exclude pieces of evidence that police obtained illegally, and even dismiss the charges if the remaining evidence is not enough to build a case on.  It is also why all defendants, regardless of financial means or immigration status, have the right to legal representation by a professionally qualified criminal defense lawyer, because the details of the laws of criminal procedure are sufficiently complex that the average person cannot fully exercise his or her rights without professional legal advice.  While technicalities can lead to defendants caught in the act getting acquitted or even getting their cases dismissed, the Reid technique is a whopping injustice that has led to numerous false confessions, as well as to genuinely guilty defendants confessing after much more distress than they would have experienced if they had simply reached the decision to plead guilty after discussing their case with a criminal defense lawyer.  In short, the Reid technique is psychological warfare, and the best way to avoid it is to refuse to be questioned until after you contact a Florida drug offenses attorney.

Reid’s Nine Circles of Hell Lead to a Confession, Whether You Are Guilty or Not

In the 1950s, John Reid, a polygraph expert, figured out a way to get every defendant to confess to their charges, whether they were guilty or not.  His first victim, Darrel Parker, who was facing charges for murder, recanted his confession the next day, but the jury convicted him anyway, and only after an ordeal did the court overturn his conviction and release him from prison.  Reid spent the rest of his life training police departments and federal agents on his methods of getting everyone to confess, and the practice continues until today.

Reid outlined his method in nine steps, but its core principle is not to let defendants leave until they confess.  Innocent people confess in tears after investigators convince them that their innocence is an illusion.  Guilty people tell investigators point blank that they are confessing under duress, and because of their confession, investigators will never know the truth about the crime.  The goal of the Reid technique is not truth or justice; it is to get you to admit that you committed the crime, whether you did or not.

The worst thing about the Reid technique is that this psychological torture is entirely preventable.  It starts with manipulation, with trying to get defendants to waive their right to remain silent.  If a police officer wants to make conversation after your arrest, do not engage.  Stay silent until you have a chance to talk privately with a criminal defense lawyer.

Contact FL Drug Defense Group About Drug Cases

A Central Florida criminal defense lawyer will protect you from unfair interrogation techniques.  Contact FL Drug Defense Group in Orlando, Florida to discuss your case.

Source:

web.archive.org/web/20090330105018/http://faculty.law.wayne.edu/moran/The%20REID%209%20STEPS%20OF%20INTERROGATION.htm