Contaminating Info

Revealing crime scene details during questioning that suspects later incorporate, making false confessions appear credible.

Interrogators intentionally or inadvertently disclose specific details about the crime; location of evidence, sequence of events, victim injuries, or method used, that only the true perpetrator should know. The juvenile then repeats these details in their confession, creating the false appearance of insider knowledge that convinces investigators, prosecutors, and juries of authenticity. This contamination can be subtle, woven into leading questions or hypothetical scenarios, making it difficult to later identify where the information originated. Young suspects, eager to please interrogators and end the questioning, may unconsciously absorb and regurgitate these details, or consciously incorporate them believing it will help them secure promised benefits. The resulting confession becomes "corroborated" by facts the interrogator themselves planted.