Safeguarding Against False or Coerced Confessions

close up of a person's hands on a table in handcuffs. The hands of someone else, not cuffed, are across the table

A person's confession can be very powerful evidence in court, but innocent people can confess under police pressure. The Center studies false confessions and works on model police policies, including through the American Law Institute, aimed at preventing false confessions.

The Center's work has led to policy changes in Pennsylvania around the recording of interrogations.