Prisoners' reasons for denial of guilt for their alleged crimes during interrogation and factors related to their denial

Abstract

This study investigated predictive factors of prisoners' denial of guilt for their alleged crimes during interrogation. We administered a self‐reported questionnaire to new male prisoners who were convicted of theft and/or fraud and had denied the crime during interrogation. First, we analysed the reasons for their denial and identified factors of Anxiety and Refusal. Next, we investigated which interrogator's behaviour the prisoners believed had influenced their denial and identified three factors: Persuasion, Non‐Presentation of Evidence, and Confrontation. Finally, we examined whether the prisoners' denial at the conclusion of interrogation would be predicted by these factors, specifically in terms of the prisoners' reasons for denial, the interrogator's behaviour and the characteristics of the prisoners and their crimes. The results revealed that marital status, and Anxiety and Non‐Presentation of Evidence were predictive of denial at the conclusion of interrogation. Interrogators need to consider these factors when interviewing denying suspects.