In a recent article published in the NilePost on August 14, 2025, Why do Innocent People Confess to Crimes They Didn’t Commit, the author Richard Musaazi, completely misrepresents the Reid Technique, stating that “Throughout Africa, the most common interrogation method taught to police is the coercive Reid Technique.” He erroneously describes the Reid Technique as engaging in “psychological coercion.”

As we pointed out in our most recent Investigator Tip, “Best Practices That Investigators Should Follow To Prevent False Confessions,” we detailed the common causes of false confessions, such as

• Physical abuse of the subject

• Threats of physical harm

• Threats of inevitable consequences (threats that if the subject did not confess, he would be sent to the penitentiary for more serious crime; threats that his family members would be arrested)

• Promises of leniency (that if he confessed, he would be released from custody; that he would not be prosecuted; that he will be granted a pardon; that he will receive a lighter sentence than the law prescribed)

• Denial of rights

• Denial of physical needs

• Excessively long interrogations

• Disclosure of crime details

• Failure to properly take into account the subject’s mental limitations and/or psychological disabilities

• Failure to properly modify approaches with socially immature juveniles

• Failure to properly corroborate confession details

And detailed the procedures that the investigator should follow so as to prevent false confessions, including the following,

Core Principles and Best Practices:

• Do not make any promises of leniency

• Do not threaten the subject with any physical harm or inevitable consequences

• Do not deny the subject any of their rights

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

• Withhold information about the details of the crime from the subject so that if the subject confesses the disclosure of that information can be used to confirm the authenticity of the statement

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

• Always treat the subject with dignity and respect

• Conduct an interview before any interrogation. Absent a life-saving circumstance the investigator should conduct a non-accusatory interview before engaging in any interrogation

• Conduct an interrogation only when there is a reasonable belief that the suspect committed the issue under investigation or is withholding relevant information

• Attempt to verify the suspect's alibi before conducting an interrogation

• When interrogating a non-custodial suspect, do not deprive the suspect from his freedom to leave the room

• Do not conduct excessively long interrogations

• When a suspect claims to have little or no memory for the time period when the crime was committed the investigator should not lie to the suspect concerning incriminating evidence

• Electronically record the interview and interrogation

• The confession is not the end of the investigation.

Following the confession, the investigator should investigate the confession details in an effort to establish the authenticity of the subject's statement, as well as attempt to establish the suspect's activities before and after the commission of the crime.