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Confessing to a crime you didn't commit

May 15, 2026 · 31 min

Show notes

Imagine police are interrogating you over a crime you didn't commit.

If you're innocent, you're safe, right? Wrong.

Sometimes, being innocent can make you more likely to confess. How is that possible?

In part two of our four-part series, Forensic, we learn about the police interviewing techniques that make false confessions more likely, and the bizarre cases in which people come to believe they really, truly did commit a crime – despite being innocent.

Guests:

Saul KassinDistinguished Professor Emeritus at John Jay College of Criminal Justice Professor Emeritus at Williams College

Lisanne Adam Lecturer in Law, RMIT University School of Law

Celine van GoldeAssociate Professor in Legal Psychology, University of Sydney

Credits:

  • Presenter/producer: Sana Qadar
  • Senior producer: James Bullen
  • Producer: Rose Kerr
  • Sound engineer: Roi Huberman

You can catch up on more episodes of the All in the Mind podcast with journalist and presenter Sana Qadar, exploring the psychology of topics like stress, memory, communication and relationships on ABC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts.

All episodes of All In The Mind

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