Book Review: Kids, Cops, and Confessions: Inside the Interrogation Room

• Author: Patrick Webb
• DOI: 10.1177/1057567713494788
• Published date: 01 September 2013
• Date: 01 September 2013
• Subject Matter: Book Reviews

Barry C. Feld

Kids, Cops, and Confessions: Inside the Interrogation Room New York, NY: NYU Press, 2012. 351 pp., $35.00.

ISBN 9780814727775

Reviewed by: Patrick Webb, University of Phoenix, Houston, TX, USA

DOI: 10.1177/1057567713494788

When youth are interrogated by police, they are often treated in the same manner as adults. Despite

the existence of constitutional safeguards (i.e., In re Gault, etc.), youth are subjected to a number of

investigative tactics designed to elicit confessions through intimidation and psychological manipu-

lation. Within the context of these experiences, Barry Feld uncovers a systemic dilemma in which

the tactics, motives, and the detrimental impact associated with the interrogation of youth are

examined. Specifically, the text offers:

an examination of how constitutional rights for youth are applied within interrogation

procedures.

a distinctive analysis associated with cognitive functioning between adults and youth.

a discussion regarding the extent of understanding among youth with respect to their Miranda

rights.

a description of the techniques employed by police when interrogating youth.

an assessment of youth responses in relation to police interrogations.

the impact of community and individual based factors with respect to the interrogation of

youth by police.

the existence and impact of false confessions made by youth.

the need and efficacy of protective measures for youth during interrogation procedures.

In Chapter 1, entitled Interrogating Criminal Suspects: Law on the Books and Law in Action,the

constitutional premise of conducting juvenile interrogations are examined by highlighting the

existence of laws associated with ensuring voluntariness as well as other critical legal aspects

(i.e., right to counsel, etc.). The relevance of Miranda is discussed by presenting a due process and

crime control model that presents a number of contextual aspects associated with the use of juvenile

interrogations and emphasizes how it benefits the state as opposed to juveniles. This leads into a

comparison between the United States and the United Kingdom regarding interrogation training.

The chapter concludes by offering a number of research areas related to the impact of Miranda,

an examination of interrogation techniques, and the existence of false confessions.

In Chapter 2, entitled Questioning Juveniles: Law and Developmental Psychology, a descriptive

account of cases where the rights of youth are violated along with deficient juvenile justice landmark

cases are explored. This leads into a discussion regarding the use of adult legal standards among

juveniles with regard to the understanding of waiving one’s rights. Differences between youth and

adults in terms of judgment are examined with an emphasis in the area of risk perception. The chap-

ter concludes with an emphasis related to the application of juvenile competency in the area under-

standing Miranda, adjudication procedures, as well as the social pressures and coercive tactics of

police interrogation techniques.

In Chapter 3, entitled To Waive or Not to Waive: That Is the Question, an examination of how

Miranda is administered among juveniles is presented. This includes a description of the character-

istics of juveniles interviewed by law enforcement personnel. The context in which Miranda is

executed among youth is provided; which includes the location, time frame, evidence obtained, and

a preference for interviewing juveniles alone. The administration and understanding of Miranda

314 International Criminal Justice Review 23(3)