The Central Park Jogger Case–Police Coercion and Secrecyin Interrogation:The 14th Annual Frantz...

Oct 13, 20201 min read

By Matthew B. Johnson

ABSTRACT. The prosecution and recent legal reversals in the New

York “Central Park Jogger” case are discussed with a focus on the preoc-

cupation with crime in US society and concerns regarding racial dis-

crimination in the legal system. It is argued that the inherently coercive

nature of interrogation, and the secrecy that surrounds custodial interro-

gation, create conditions that are ripe for abusive treatment. The phenomenon

of false confession is presented and discussed with regard to

the Central Park Jogger and other cases. The author advocates the re-

cording and preservation of the entire period of custodial questioning so

that there is an objective record of the interrogation methods that lead to

“confession” statements. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth

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