A forced confession is a confession obtained from a suspect or a prisoner by means of torture or other forms of duress. Depending on the level of coercion used, a forced confession is not valid in revealing the truth. The individuals being interrogated may agree to the story presented to them or even make up falsehoods themselves in order to satisfy the interrogator and discontinue their suffering. By the late 18th century, most scholars and lawyers thought of the forced confession not only as a relic of past times and morally wrong but also ineffective as the victim of torture may confess to anything just to ease their suffering.
Developments in the 20th century, notably the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, greatly reduced the legal acceptance of forced confessions. However, for most of legal history they have been accepted in most of the world, and are still accepted in some jurisdictions.
It may be difficult to understand why a person would confess to something they did not do; however, false confessions are one of the leading causes of wrongful convictions.
False confessions result from coercive police interrogation techniques. Some techniques include confusing the defendant, lying to the defendant about evidence, threatening the defendant with lengthy prison sentences, and physically or mentally exhausting the defendant.
Juveniles under 14, people with mental illnesses, and people with low IQs are more likely to admit guilt when they are innocent, but it could happen to anyone under the right circumstances.
Additionally, the longer the interrogation, the more likely someone is to falsely confess. In fact, 84% of false confessions occur after more than six hours of questioning.
False testimony by other witnesses also perpetuates wrongful convictions. Similar to coerced confessions, people may lie about witnessing a crime because of coercion. They may have been threatened by law enforcement or offered something in exchange for lying. It is not uncommon for prosecutors to offer leniency to someone involved in a crime in exchange for testifying against another person.
Witnesses also lie for their own reasons. They may be seeking revenge, protecting themselves if they did something illegal, or protecting a vulnerable friend or family member.