Ray wrote on Dec 28
th, 2004 at 3:21am:
IMO, this is an excellent example of how effective the polygraph can be.
Based on the news reports thus far, I'm inclined to agree that the polygraph seems to have been effective as an interrogational aid in this case. The evidence of the cell phone records may well have been enough to get a confession, even without the polygraph, however.
Quote:George - please explain to me what you believe constitutes an "unethical" interrogation tactic. What do you believe is acceptable and what crosses the line in your eyes? If an interrogation is coercive, does that make it unethical?
Yes, I believe that coercive interrogation is generally unethical and unbefitting of a democracy. Coercive interrogation techniques such as threats (explicit or implicit), sleep deprivation, and false promises of leniency are apt to produce
false confessions.
Quote:I believe you are mistaken in your assumption that the FBI would be embarrassed to defend a coercive interrogation in court...that is not the case. It's not a matter of embarrassment or having to defend anything...the tactics taught to and used by law enforcement interrogators have been deemed completely acceptable and ethical by the courts. The problem surfaces when a jury, not versed in interrogation methods or ethics, views a taped interrogation. The methods employed by interrogators (legal and ethical) can often make a jury sympathetic to a defendant.
If the FBI is not embarrassed to defend a coercive interrogation in court, why does it have a general policy of not recording such interrogations? A recording is the best way of producing an objective record of the circumstances that led to a confession. All custodial interrogations should be recorded. There is no legitimate excuse for not doing so.
Quote:Your assumption appears to be that the FBI often crosses an ethical line....just curious where you feel that line is. Specific examples would be great.
I don't know how often FBI interrogators cross the line of ethical conduct. But a policy of routinely recording interrogations in their entirety would be an effective safeguard against such abuses.
Specific instances of unethical interrogation tactics used by the FBI include the alleged use of sleep deprivation and false promises in the interrogation of
Dr. Thomas C. Butler and implied threats against family members during the interrogation of
Abdallah Higazy.