The “Reid Technique” was invented in the 1950s by an American company and is used extensively by police forces in North America for interrogating suspects. A Calgary daycare worker was questioned for over eight hours using the technique, after a child at the daycare suffered serious injuries. She stated 24 times that she wished to remain silent, but was subjected to lengthy monologues, interruptions and questioning. Eventually, she made a statement. Judge Mike Dinkel of the Provincial Court of Alberta (Criminal Division) threw out her confession.
He wrote:
I denounce the use of this technique in the strongest terms possible and find that its use can lead to overwhelmingly oppressive situations that can render false confessions and cause innocent people to be wrongfully imprisoned.
He deemed the accused’s confession inadmissible and dismissed the charges against her.
Read the full case: R. v. Chapple, 2012 ABPC 229
About Teresa Mitchell
