Author Archive

In an earlier post, I discussed several cases in which police officers did not believe claims of sexual assault victims and then turned their interrogation tactics on the victims in an attempt to get them to recant. The two most... »

The use of websites to inform and educate the public about specific cases involving false confessions has been a very effective means of advocacy. Some of the best websites out there include www.martytankleff.org and www.norfolkfour.com and www.wm3.org These websites are... »

An earlier entry of mine on this subject speculated that U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton of Arizona had been fired by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for his inistence that the FBI and other Federal law enforcement agencies electronically record statements of... »

Here's one more example of why it is is critical that the FBI start recording their interrogations. Without a recording in this case, the subtle threat conveyed by the agent to the suspect would have gone unnoticed. A federal judge... »

Section 7 of the FBI's Manual of Investigative Operations and Guidelines reads: Use of tape recorders for the purpose of recording the statements of witnesses, suspects and subjects is permissible on a limited highly selective basis, and only when authorized... »

“I Can’t Get No Relief,” the immortal words from Bob Dylan's “All Along the Watchtower” (“There's Too Much Confusion, I Can't Get No Relief”) will describe a new feature on this blog. "I Can't Get No Relief" refers to cases... »

Twenty three times Matthew Fields denied having anything to do with the break-in and sexual assault of a woman in her Louisville, KY home in October, 2005. Yet, police would not take no for an answer. They persisted in insisting... »

When the Dr. Phil show contacted me to appear on a show on false confessions, I hesitated. I've worked with 60 Minutes, Nightline, Dateline, Prime-Time, 20-20, American Justice, and other high-quality investigative shows which can devote the time necessary to... »

2006: A YEAR TO REMEMBER IN FALSE CONFESSIONS/RECORDING INTERROGATIONS JANUARY 2006 • The New Year began on a sad note with news that Welsh White, a University of Pittsburgh law professor, died after a long battle with lung cancer. White,... »

Meet Matt Livers, the latest false confessor to a murder, to be set free after evidence that two other persons committed the crime surfaced. Tomorrow, in a courtroom outside Omaha, NE., charges are finally expected to be dropped against Livers... »

One of the best decisions we ever made here at the CWC was to publish Tom Sullivan's Report on Police Experiences With Electronic Recording of Custodial Interrogations. http://www.law.northwestern.edu/depts/clinic/wrongful/Causes/CustodialInterrogations.htm. Thomas P. Sullivan (Photo: Mary Hanlon) We knew there was a market... »

The friendless, the weird, and the mentally disabled are all vulnerable when police are under pressure to solve a high profile crime, writes Robert Chesshyre in his article in the Britsih Daily online magazine The First Post available at: http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/index.php?menuID=2subID=1074... »