Deception in Criminal Justice: Causes, Indicators, and Implications
One type of deception that most people use is lying, and this is for different reasons. Some common reasons that have been given as to why some people tell lies include avoiding punishment, damaging their self-image, gaining something, or sparing other people. In some cases, lying creates a particular pattern of reaction to stress or conflict that dominates a person’s actions.
Within criminal justice-involved populations, instances of lying are notably elevated. The following are among the factors that can explain why this prevalence has gone up. Firstly, most offenders continuously acquire the habit due to faults in an environment that requires them to bend the truth or avoid punishment. Furthermore, sometimes, the subjects possess some ingredients of antisocial personality disorder that leads to dishonesty and violation of rules (Hart et al., 2020). Another factor contributing to the false information is that criminal justice engagements are particularly sensitive, and such endeavors compel people to lie to conserve their lives.
The following are red flags when telling lies: shifting focus, lack of eye contact, movement from certain to certain, very elaborate, or general answers (Elangovan, 2022; Hart et al., 2020). Hypersensitivity to questions or hostility, avoiding direct answers, irritability, quick shifts of mood, and phrases such as ‘to the best of my knowledge’ can indicate lying.
Finally, lying has serious consequences in clinical and forensic establishments, as discussed below. Clinically, it may obstruct clinicians’ ability to make correct diagnoses and further create a therapeutic plan, resulting in improper intervention strategies. Lying may neutralize justice in the forensic practice as people may be imprisoned when they did not commit an offense or, on the other hand, released when they were guilty (Watt, 2023). It also colors risk evaluation procedures and the process of rehabilitation.
To cope with these issues, the professionals teleworking in these fields must have a well-developed ability to observe and use research-based methods for identifying lies. Persuading people to be trustworthy or flattering them might make them more honest, implying that creating rapport or even non-critical contexts will lead people to tell the truth to some extent. Moreover, it means that such aspects as cross-checking information and applying collateral sources become vital to making clinical and legal activities more reliable.
