Interrogation of Michael Crowe the Movie
There is no single correct way to conduct an interrogation, just as there is no single correct way to write a novel or to design a building or to raise a child. However, there are certainly a number of incorrect ways to interrogate a subject, and the 2002 movie The Interrogation of Michael Crowe unfortunately demonstrates a number of them. "Unfortunately" because the movie is based on a real case and the examples of poor-to-the-point-of-unethical interrogation techniques had terrible consequences for Michael Crowe as an individual as well as for the rest of his already-grieving family. The police spent hours interrogated Michael, a fact that meant that he was unable to attend his sister's funeral, a fact that damaged the family as a whole.
Police interrogation techniques in the United States
The stereotypical images of the "good cop-bad cop" and "just beat it out of them" approaches to police interrogation may still be practiced in some parts of the country or from time to time anywhere, but the former is frequently ineffective and the latter is fundamentally unconstitutional and illegal. Therefore, identifying current police interrogation techniques represents a timely and valuable enterprise. To determine current practice and trends in this area, the purpose of this paper was to examine current police interrogation techniques within the United States. A summary of the research and important findings in this area are presented in the conclusion.