As mentioned, anyone can reach their breaking point and give a false confession, but there are people who are more susceptible to interrogation techniques than others. These include younger people, those who have a limited mental capacity, and those who have substance abuse problems, per Science. According to the statistics obtained by the Innocence Project, exonerations that involved false confessions show that 49% of those who falsely confessed were not older than 21 years old, and 9% had “mental capacity issues.” Per Psychology Today, the more a person is susceptible to influence, the more likely they are to give in to interrogation tactics or pressure.
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Imagine being in an interrogation room for hours with someone repeatedly trying to get information from you that you don’t have. Your resolve breaks, you don’t have anyone else to rely on, and you just desperately want to get out of the situation. In some cases, as Saul Kassin told Live Science, people tend to forget that they have the right to remain silent or stop the interrogation and call a lawyer. Others falsely confess because they rely on being declared innocent when more information or pieces of evidence are acquired that prove they are not guilty.
