Juvenile Interrogation Psychology and False Confessions

Abstract

Juveniles are disproportionately vulnerable to false confessions during police interrogation due to developmental immaturity, heightened compliance, impaired understanding of legal rights, and increased sensitivity to psychological pressure. While coercive interrogation tactics have been widely scrutinized in adult populations, their impact on adolescents poses distinct ethical, legal, and forensic concerns. This paper synthesizes research from developmental psychology, cognitive science, and criminal justice to explain why juveniles exhibit higher rates of false admissions of guilt, both coerced and voluntary. A new framework—the Juvenile Vulnerability–Interrogation Model (JVIM)—is proposed, mapping developmental traits to interrogation dynamics and confession outcomes. Policy implications include mandatory recording of interviews, presence of legal guardians, specialized juvenile questioning protocols, and developmental competency evaluations