How the Courts View the Reid Technique

Written By: Reid
Jan 25, 2017

As we move into 2017 we will be celebrating 70 years of excellence. John E. Reid founded the company in 1947. Over the last seven decades the Reid Technique of Interviewing and Interrogation has become the gold standard of the industry.

In July 2014, at the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys conference there was a presentation entitled, “Theories and Advocacy Strategies in False Confession Cases.” The presenters were Steve Drizin, Center on Wrongful Convictions, Chicago, IL; Laura Nirider, Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth, Chicago, IL. In their presentation they stated that Reid is the gold standard on proper procedures, and that they regularly review reid.com and our materials to establish best practices and to point out what other investigators did that was improper.

They specifically reference our cautions re the questioning of juveniles. We have prepared a PDF document and a Power Point program detailing the Core Principles of the Reid Technique and how the courts view the Reid Technique. Here is the content of the material:

- Core Principles of the Reid Technique

- What is the Reid Technique?

- How the Courts View Minimization

- How the Courts View Misrepresenting Evidence to the Suspect

- How the Courts View Being Friendly and Empathetic with the Suspect

- How the Courts View the Alternative Question

- Several Courts have Admonished Investigators for Not Following Reid Guidelines

- Federal Court: No Basis for the Claim that the Reid Technique is coercive

- False Confession Expert Testimony About the “Coercive” Nature of the Reid Technique is Rejected

- Reid as the Gold Standard

Click here for the pdf How Courts View the Reid Technique 2020.pdf

Here is a video presentation on our YouTube channel, "How the Courts View the Reid Technique"