Persons at risk during interrogations in police custody: Different perspectives on vulnerable suspects

A false confession given by a suspect has major implications for the suspect himself or herself, the criminal investigation and ultimately the credibility of police and justice. Mentally vulnerable suspects in particular may give false confessions. This study shows that police officers frequently deal with vulnerable suspects – much more frequently than they are aware of. Therefore, Geijsen argues in favour of every suspect being treated as a vulnerable suspect and recording interrogations. He also argues in favour of the introduction of investigative interviewing in the Netherlands. Finally, he concludes that police cell complexes equipped according to the basic principles of environmental psychology may contribute to the mental wellbeing of suspects.