Empty Guarantees

Interrogators suggest - directly or through implication - that cooperation will result in immediate release, reduced charges, or favorable treatment from prosecutors and judges. They might say things like "just tell us what happened and you can go home" or "the judge will go easier on you if you're honest now." These promises are hollow because police officers have no power to determine charging decisions, plea bargains, or sentences. Juveniles, however, rarely understand the separation of powers within the criminal justice system and take these assurances at face value. Desperate to end their ordeal and trusting that authority figures will keep their word, they confess based on benefits that will never materialize.