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Purpose: The principal aims of this study are to identify risk factors associated with police arrest and false confessions and to investigate whether the severity of the ADHD condition/symptoms increases the risk.Methods: 22,226 young persons in Iceland anonymously completed self-report questionnaires screening for conduct disorder and ADHD. In addition, they stated whether they had a diagnosis of ADHD and had received ADHD medication, and their history of offending, police interrogation and false confession. Participants were stratified into two age groups, 14-16 and 17-24 years.Results: The older group was significantly more likely to have been interrogated by the police but the younger group were much more vulnerable to false confession during interrogation. Males were more likely to be at risk for both than females. The severity of the ADHD condition increased the risk of both interrogation and false confession. Negative binomial regressions showed that age, gender, conduct disorder, offending, and ADHD symptoms were all significant predictors of both interrogations and number of false confessions. Conduct disorder was the single best predictor of police interrogation, but the findings were more mixed regarding false confessions. Young people presenting with a combination of severe ADHD and comorbid conduct disorder had the worst outcome for both interrogation and false confessions.Conclusions: The findings endorse the need for support of persons with ADHD to be put in place to ensure fair due process and to prevent miscarriages of justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is increased recognition that people interviewed by the police are often psychologically vulnerable due to modest intelligence, mental health problems, disturbed mental state, and personality problems. The current study aimed to investigate differences in the mental state and personality between suspects and witnesses. The participants were 78 individuals (47 suspects and 31 witnesses) who had been interviewed by the Icelandic police. They were assessed psychologically immediately after the interview with the police was completed. Significant differences emerged between the two groups with the suspects being more depressed, hopeless, compliant and personality disordered than the witnesses. Four of the suspects claimed to have made a false confession to the police due to their immediate need or psychological problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The main aims of the study were twofold. Firstly, to ascertain a national base rate of custodial interrogation, confession, denial and false confession among Icelandic youth (age group 16–24 years), and secondly, to investigate psychological and criminological factors associated with false confession. The participants were 10,472 students in further education in Iceland. All colleges of secondary education in Iceland were represented. As a part of a large national study into the background, behaviour, and mental health of adolescents, each pupil was asked about custodial interrogation, confessions, denials, and false confessions. Almost one-fourth (18.6%) of the participants stated, that they had been interrogated by the police in relation to a suspected offence, of whom 53% said they had confessed truthfully. A small minority of those interrogated (7.3% of those interrogated and 1.6% of the total sample) claimed to have made false confessions to the police. The false confession rate was highest (12%) among those interrogated more than once and lowest (3%) among those interrogated only once. A Discriminant Function Analysis found that false confessions during interrogation were mostly associated with the extent of involvement in delinquent activities, the involvement of friends in delinquency, and depression. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]