False Confessions

Type: Concept

As of November 2026, False Confessions has been mentioned in 2 episodes across 2 podcasts, first heard Nov 2025 on Crime Junkie.

A false confession is an admission of guilt for a crime which the individual did not commit. Although such confessions seem counterintuitive, they can be made voluntarily, perhaps to protect a third party, or induced through coercive interrogation techniques. When some degree of coercion is involved, studies have found that subjects with low intelligence or with mental disorders are more likely to make such confessions. Young people are particularly vulnerable to confessing, especially when str