Question

what limitations do courts impose on the police in the use of deception in interrogation of suspects?

Answer 1

Interrogation of suspects may involve a certain level of use of deception, especially in the cases where the Suspect could be a child molester or part of the drug trafficking activity, etc. Although the limitations vary from case to case basis at the appeal Courts, but in general, the Courts have been generous enough to grant the tolerable limits to the Police when it comes to the use of deception in interrogation of suspects. Allowance is given for misrepresentation of the facts in order to manipulate the suspects but the limitations come when the Courts specifically make the Police clear as to what extent the deception is reasonable so that there is an avoidance of false inducement of confessions of the suspects for the crime that they have really not committed. Therefore, misrepresentation by the Police is allowed by the Court considering the complete case that involves a certain event and are given the permission of downplaying the gravity of the offense in a manner that the Police is in the position to empathize with the suspects and simply not blame the suspect outrightly.