The Language of Confession, Interrogation, and Deception

by Roger W. Shuy

Overview

From a linguistic perspective, this book is a practical explanation of how confessions work. Roger Shuy, author of the 1993 benchmark work, Language Crimes, examines criminal confessions, the interrogations that elicit confessions, and the deceptive language that plays a role in the actual confession. He presents transcripts from numerous interrogations and analyzes how language is used, how constitutional rights are not protected, and discusses consistency, truthfulness, suggestibility, and written and unvalidated confessions. He also provides specific advice about how to conduct interrogations that will yield credible evidence.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761913450
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	01/08/1998
Series:	Empirical Linguistics , #2
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.63(d)

About the Author

My service as professor of linguistics for 30 years at Georgetown University continues through my company, Roger W. Shuy, Inc., which was incorporated in 1982. This service includes linguistic analysis of:
tape recorded conversation (bribery, solicitation, extortion, threats, etc.)
tape recorded speeches (slander, fraud, etc.)
tape recorded interviews (child sex abuse, police interrogations, confessions, etc.)
written documents (reports, proposals, insurance policies, testimony, contracts, confessions, etc.)

Over the past 40 years, I have consulted on some 500 cases and have testified as a linguistics expert witness 54 times in criminal and civil trials (in 26 states), as well as before the US Senate and US House of Representatives in impeachment trials of US Senators and Federal Judges and in International Criminal Tribunal trials. I have also provided sworn affidavits and depositions in some 75 law cases.
Roger W. Shuy, Inc. is now informally affiliated with Dr. Robert A. Leonard of Robert A. Leonard Associates in New York.

Table of Contents

	Series Editor's Introduction	vii
1	Confession Event	1
2	Language of the Police Interrogation	12
	Interrogating Versus Interviewing	12
	Case Study of the Interrogations of Steve Allen	17
	Was Chris Jerue Lying?	33
	Did Donald Goltz Believe What He Confessed?	40
	Some Problems With Police Interrogation	46
3	Language and Constitutional Rights	51
	Miranda Rights in the DWI Arrest	52
	Were the Rights of Jesse Moffett Abused?	58
	Were the Rights of Charles Lorraine Violated?	68
4	Language of Truthfulness and Deception	74
	Was Robert Alben Lying?	79
	Was Jessie Moffett Lying?	87
5	Language of Written Confessions	94
	Michael Carter's Written Statement	95
	The Written Statement as a Clue to Deception	104
6	Language of the Implicational Confession	107
	Surrogate Confession of DeWayne Hill	107
7	Language of the Interrogator as Therapist	122
	Persuasion of Beverly Monroe	123
8	Inferred Confession	140
	Case Study of Shiv Panini	140
9	Unvalidated Confession	153
	Why Did Kevin Rogers Confess?	154
10	An Effective Interrogation and a Valid Confession	174
	Case Study of Pamela Gardner	174
11	Some Basic Principles of Interrogation, Confession, and Deceptive Language	186
	Be Conversational	188
	Ask Clear and Explicit Questions	190
	Do Not Mix Interview Types	191
	Look for Inconsistencies Before Trying to Determine Deception	192
	Tape-Record All Contacts	192
	References	195
	Index	199
	About the Author	205

Editorial Reviews

Shuy (linguistics, Georgetown U.) discusses the language used by suspects and interrogators in confession, and the deceitful use of language. He describes several cases in which he was asked by defense attorneys to analyze confessions. Topics include suggestibility and other flaws in interrogation, alleged or inferred confessions that have not been recorded, and suggested basic principles of interrogation. Does not address legal aspects of confession. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Booknews

"An extremely valuable resource by one of the experts in this field."

A.J. Kramer