Westlaw recognizes the Reid Technique

Written By: Reid
Aug 16, 2016
In their annual publication, Law of Confessions 2016, published by Thomson Reuters Westlaw, the authors include the following comments in their discussion of interrogation approaches:
“Coercion can be psychological as well as physical. This does not typically involve intimidation. Modern police eschew these techniques, not just because they are unlawful, but because they are ineffective. Police have been trained to use the “Reid technique,” which calls for police to be patient and understanding, break down the suspect’s resistance to confessing by expressing confidence in the defendant’s guilt, and providing the suspect with explanations for the crime that place blame on others or rationalize the criminal behavior.” The authors then go on to detail the decision in U.S. Jacques, 744 F.3d 804 (1st Cir. 2014) which found that the various techniques that we teach “all fall safely within the realm of permissible” procedure that the courts have sanctioned.