Youth Disserved (Reviewing Barry C. Feld, Kids, Cops, and Confessions: Inside the Interrogation Room (2013))

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 Last revised: 30 Oct 2013

See all articles by Daniel S. Medwed

Daniel S. Medwed

Northeastern University - School of Law

Abstract

Notwithstanding its prominence in Law & Order television episodes, the police interrogation room remains shrouded in mystery - and mythology. What actually happens within these walls? Is the interrogation room a modern-day star chamber where aggressive police intimidate overmatched suspects through trickery and occasionally much more? Or is it a venue for well-trained and well-meaning detectives to uncover important, time-sensitive information about pending criminal cases? Or is the truth much more complicated?

Professor Barry Feld’s terrific book goes far in attempting to answer these questions, specifically in relation to the interrogation of juveniles. He taps into a treasure trove of data from Minnesota, a state that has compelled the recording of police interrogations of suspects since 1994. With the help of chief prosecutors in four counties, Feld gathered and analyzed 307 tapes and transcripts of police interrogations of older juveniles (ages 16 and 17) suspected of committing felony offenses (ix, 6–7). He supplemented his extensive quantitative analysis with qualitative research, including dozens of interviews with criminal justice stakeholders in Minnesota.

A rich blend of top-notch empirical scholarship and doctrinal analysis, Feld’s book is a significant contribution to our understanding of the dynamics of police interrogations - and a major step forward in achieving justice for juveniles. In a country where more than 90% of criminal defendants accept guilty pleas, “[t]he interrogation room is the trial” in many cases (7). It is critical to shine a spotlight on interrogation practices to enhance the legitimacy and accuracy of American criminal justice. Feld manages to do this with aplomb, skillfully pivoting his scholarly spotlight into the darkest corners of the interrogation room.

Suggested Citation

Medwed, Daniel S., Youth Disserved (Reviewing Barry C. Feld, Kids, Cops, and Confessions: Inside the Interrogation Room (2013)). Crime, Law and Social Change, Forthcoming, Northeastern University School of Law Research Paper No. 162-2013, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2343906

Daniel S. Medwed (Contact Author)

Northeastern University - School of Law ( email )

416 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Abstract Views
1,100
PlumX Metrics