Erkännandets fallgropar : En studie om brottsutredares syn på falska erkännanden i Sverige

Sammanfattning

This study examines how criminal investigators in Sweden reason about false confessions in investigations. The background to the study is that false confessions constitute a complex problem within the rule of law. At the same time, there is limited knowledge about how criminal investigators themselves perceive the risk that such confessions can arise and affect their investigative work. The study, therefore aims to examine how criminal investigators in Sweden reason about false confessions in preliminary investigations. The study aims to shed light on how criminal investigators perceive the risk of false confessions during the preliminary investigation, with a particular focus on interrogation. The study has an exploratory research approach with a qualitative method. The study consists of eight semi-structured interviews with criminal investigators from different parts of Sweden. The empirical material was analyzed through a reflexive thematic analysis based on theories of sensemaking and confirmation bias. The results show the criminal investigators perspectives, and three themes were identified: interrogation practice as risk management, objectivity in work, and assessments of reliability in relation to false confessions. The results show that false confessions were generally described as a relatively uncommon phenomenon in the Swedish context, but not so uncommon that they can be ignored. The criminal investigators reasoned that there is also a possible risk in certain types of interrogation situations and investigation contexts. The result of this study shows that criminal investigators in Sweden create meaning around false confessions through experiences, practical knowledge and understanding of the psychological and situational factors that can affect an individual. To minimize the risk of false confessions, investigators use strategies such as critical examination, adapted interrogation techniques, verification of information and comparison with other evidence. At the same time, the work of criminal investigators is characterized by a continuous balance between objectivity, human subjectivity and the legal process's requirements for verifiability.