In a 2012 article that was recently re-published, the author referenced the Canadian judge’s decision in the Christa Lynn Chapple case as an example of the Court ruling that the Reid Technique “can cause innocent people to make false or coerced confessions.”

From the article:

The Judge said the police subjected Christa Lynn Chapple to an eight-hour interview and interrogation that “had all the appearances of a desperate investigative team that was bent on extracting a confession at any cost.”

Even though the accused asserted at least 24 times that she wanted to remain silent, Detective Karla Malsam-Dudar disregarded that right, continuing to prolong the interview with lengthy monologues, constant interruptions and persistent questioning.

The accused’s free will was overborne to the point where she told police what they wanted to hear, the judge concluded.

What the Judge failed to understand was that the described procedures violated the Core Principles of the Reid Technique, which are as follows:

• Always treat the subject with dignity and respect

• Always conduct interviews and interrogations in accordance with the guidelines established by the courts

• Do not make any promises of leniency or threats of harm or inevitable consequences

• Do not conduct interrogations for an excessively lengthy period of time

• Do not deny the subject any of their rights

• Do not deny the subject the opportunity to satisfy their physical needs

• Exercise special cautions when questioning juveniles or individuals with mental or psychological impairments

The length of the interrogation and the consistent denial of the subject's 24 requests to remain silent clearly violated the principles of practice that we teach.

Unfortunately, the Court mistakenly associated these investigator behaviors with the Reid Technique.

There are several Investigator Tips on our website, www.reid.com, which detail the practices and procedures that we teach investigators to follow:

Principles of Practice: How to Conduct Proper Investigative Interviews and Interrogations

What Questions Should be Asked to Determine the Voluntariness and Validity of a Subject’s Confession?

A Description of The Reid Technique