False Confessions and How to End Them

Although there are approximately 1.3 million private security guards in the U.S., we know very little about who they are or how they work. Along comes Duke Law Professor Ben Grunwald, with a new empirical study of private security guards in Florida. In a nutshell, Grunwald finds that private security guards are more diverse but less well-trained than their public-sector law enforcement counterparts. He discusses cross-employment between the two work forces, the backgrounds of private security guards, and how the states do or do not regulate them. Don't miss it!

The answer, according to Patrick Sharkey, Professor of Sociology at Princeton University, is unequivocally yes! Sharkey's rigorous research shows that local nonprofits, including job-focused and drug-focused organizations, have significantly reduced violent crime in many U.S. communities. He cites the East Lake neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia as a vivid example of what nonprofits can accomplish. Sharkey also reflects on the relative roles of nonprofits and traditional law enforcement agencies.

Unlike local police chiefs, local sheriffs are popularly elected. In theory, that makes them accountable to the voters. In practice, their accountability is quite limited. For example, the incumbency advantage of sitting sheriffs in local elections is enormous. Mirya Holman, Professor of Public Affairs at the University of Houston and co-author (with Emily Farris) of The Power of the Badge, discovered through two national surveys just how unrepresentative local sheriffs are. She discusses why that matters. Unrepresentative sheriffs have attitudes that significantly affect local law enforcement policies on domestic violence, racial bias, and immigration detention.

In a new book, The Science of Second Chances, economist Jennifer Doleac puts criminal justice reform strategies under the microscope. Should prosecutors be lenient towards first offenders? Should probation ground-rules be strict and strictly enforced? Should persons convicted of a felony have their DNA included in a law enforcement data base? Should employers be allowed to ask job applicants whether they have been convicted of a crime? Doleac, the Executive Vice President of Arnold Ventures, believes in answering these questions with rigorous empirical evidence. Some of her answers will surprise you!

De-escalation training for police is not new, but it has received growing attention in recent years, as concerns over the use of force by police have surged. Until recently, little was known about the actual effects of de-escalation training. Robin Engel, Senior Scientist at the Ohio State University, has conducted a systematic review of multiple studies and an in-depth analysis of the effects of de-escalation training in Louisville, Ky. and Indianapolis, Ind. She discusses her surprising findings and offers some insights.

Homicide clearance rates, at 61 percent nationwide, are disappointing, and clearance rates for nonfatal gun shootings are even lower. Phillip Cook, Professor Emeritus of Public Policy and Economics at Duke University, offers explanations for relatively low clearance rates, including changes in arrest requirements and the mix of cases being investigated. For example, as drug and gang cases have proliferated, clearance rates have declined. On the positive side, Cook discusses promising efforts by Denver, Indianapolis, and other cities to boost clearance rates.

What did law enforcement look like in the days before the American Revolution? In Boston and other cities, "night watchmen" provided protection and useful information to citizens while others slept. Law enforcement became far less routine when 1,300 British soldiers arrived in Boston in 1768. Nicole Breault, Assistant Professor of History at the University of Texas-El Paso, discusses how competing police forces complicated law enforcement during the American Revolution. Learn what Ken Burns didn't tell you!

Due to some legislative drafting quirks, our nation’s oldest national park features a 50-square-mile corridor where it is theoretically possible to commit a serious crime without being punished. This legal loophole played a role in C.J. Box’s heart-pounding murder mystery, Free-Fire, featuringWyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett. Brian Kalt, Professor of Law at Michigan State University, generated lots of interest but alas no reform when he wrote about this loophole in a Georgetown Law Review article. Hear him explain how animprobable series of uncoordinated legal decisions made it possible to get away with murder in Yellowstone’s Zone of Death!

False confessions are not just an interesting plot twist in police dramas; they are fairly common in real life. Teenagers are especially likely to make a false confession when interrogated by the police. Hayley Cleary, Professor of Criminology at Virginia Commonwealth University, explains the psychology of police interrogations and the greater risks for young defendants. She also discusses potential remedies adopted by some states, including video-taped interrogations and mandatory access to an attorney.

If your credit card or banking account has ever been compromised by cybercrime, you know that cybercrime is no laughing matter. What exactly is cybercrime? Who are the victims? The perpetrators? Most of us never report cybercrime to local law enforcement authorities. Is that a mistake? What is the F.B.I.'s role in combating cybercrime? How is A.I. making matters worse? And how can we protect ourselves from multiple cyber threats? Jin Lee, Assistant Professor of Criminology at George Mason University and the author of multiple articles on cybercrime, helps us to understand a complex but important subject.