CONCEPT Continuing & Professional Studies, Palo Alto University

This webinar on Suggestibility in the Criminal Justice System: An Advanced Overview is presented by Jerrod Brown, PhD.

Suggestibility occurs when a person adopts inaccurate yet plausible information as accurate. Although the causes of suggestibility are many and varied, cognitive impairments (e.g., executive function and memory), social deficits (e.g., communication skills and self-esteem), and traumatic life experiences may contribute to the phenomenon. The potential for suggestibility is particularly dangerous in legal settings. Here, self-reported information strongly influences an individual’s capacity to participate in legal processes (e.g., legal decision making and standing trial). This is troubling because this information is used to charge and convict, perhaps resulting in false confessions and wrongful convictions. To protect against this possibility, this training intended to increase awareness of suggestibility among criminal justice, forensic mental health, and legal professionals. Topics addressed include defining suggestibility, reviewing situational and environmental features that elicit suggestibility, and identifying approaches to minimize suggestibility.