Research Shows an Incentive to Snitch Produces False Information
Tuesday, March 24, 2009 - 16:35
in Psychology & Sociology
(PhysOrg.com) -- The secondary confession - also known as snitching - is widely accepted as valid evidence in criminal prosecution. Yet, the first behavioral study to investigate whether people will provide false secondary confessions has raised significant concerns about the use of such evidence when informants are offered incentives, according to University of Arkansas psychology researchers Jessica K. Swanner and Denise R. Beike.