Reflecting on Scaredycat - Andy Blubaugh
Blubaugh's short film reveals productive thoughts about the nature of memory by bringing in the concept of fear. The short film talks about Andy's fear and how it affected his memory. Andy has had rituals that he has done since he was little such as; aligning his feet with the floor board, and rearranging the magazines so they don't touch the end of the coffee tables since he was about seven years old. Andy had said that he knew doing these little things wasn't going to make him any safer but at least he was doing something that made him feel better. Andy was violently jumped and attacked by five individuals. Andy was so scared he decided to give them his wallet and bag so that they would leave him alone. Andy was left extremely traumatized.
As a result, Andy had to pick and choose what he would be afraid. Every time Andy saw a African American man and he is not feeling right about it, he would remove himself from the situation, such as crossing the street and getting off the bus. Andy thought this process was okay because of the experience he went through. However, Andy knew this was wrong because it wasn't making him feel any safer but it was just something that he can do in the moment. However, the men that had jumped Andy weren't even all African America.
Two of them were white, one hispanic, and two African American. The way that Andy was responding to his fear was not pure racist but insanely missing the point. Andy then decided to contact his attackers over the phone. One of the attacker admitted he felt nothing during the incident and that Andy was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. The minimum sentence law meant no negotiation, you must serve the mandatory sentence. The attackers train of thought was if they cannot do anything "good" to get a lighter sentence then why would they try to better themselves while in prison. Andy thought that longer sentences for criminals won't make society feel safer but its something that can do to take charge. In Andy's situation, the cause of his fear made him not correctly remember what took place that night. Simply surviving was his only thought. Which caused Andy to not correctly check his surroundings and attackers. It's important to study your fears and realize they are all unreasonable.
It might shape my approach to interviewing and interrogating suspects by not assuming or feeding unreasonable thoughts to suspects. I will try not to manipulate them, but simply work something out and try my best to help recollect memories, and motives. Being to harsh is not going to get either party anywhere but only cause frustration and unreliable information. The point isn't to get a confession out, but to get the truth. I think it is more important to work out something with the suspect so that they feel safe and comfortable in confining in you. From there, hopefully the truth is told and not just a false confession due to increased pressure and manipulating a suspect.
According to the Reid technique, the signs that the suspect portray will lead to a answer. It is based on science that is no longer valid. If the suspect is showing anxiety through their body language then it means that they are guilty. Such acts include; folding your arms, looking away, pretending to pick lint, touching your hair, and fidgeting your leg. People often give false confessions because they feel trapped and that that's their only way out. Also, if they confess then they think something will work out on the other side. The Reid technique is completely untrusting and unreliable because anxiety does not mean that a person is lying, but simply uncomfortable in the situation for various of reasons.
According to "Increasing pressure does not benefit lie detection: a reply to Ten Brinke et al. (2015)", Verschuere states that often many crimes can be solved through EFFECTIVE interrogations. A lie detection would go off because of pressure that the suspect feels. According to this article, physically inadequate environments decrease the ability to successfully admit lies. I do not trust the information on this article because just as the Reid technique, the purpose is to get a confession out of someone and detect their lies to claim them guilty. Enhancing the pressure on a suspect should not be used because you are left with unreliable evidence and lead to a false confession.
As a result, Andy had to pick and choose what he would be afraid. Every time Andy saw a African American man and he is not feeling right about it, he would remove himself from the situation, such as crossing the street and getting off the bus. Andy thought this process was okay because of the experience he went through. However, Andy knew this was wrong because it wasn't making him feel any safer but it was just something that he can do in the moment. However, the men that had jumped Andy weren't even all African America.
Two of them were white, one hispanic, and two African American. The way that Andy was responding to his fear was not pure racist but insanely missing the point. Andy then decided to contact his attackers over the phone. One of the attacker admitted he felt nothing during the incident and that Andy was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. The minimum sentence law meant no negotiation, you must serve the mandatory sentence. The attackers train of thought was if they cannot do anything "good" to get a lighter sentence then why would they try to better themselves while in prison. Andy thought that longer sentences for criminals won't make society feel safer but its something that can do to take charge. In Andy's situation, the cause of his fear made him not correctly remember what took place that night. Simply surviving was his only thought. Which caused Andy to not correctly check his surroundings and attackers. It's important to study your fears and realize they are all unreasonable.
It might shape my approach to interviewing and interrogating suspects by not assuming or feeding unreasonable thoughts to suspects. I will try not to manipulate them, but simply work something out and try my best to help recollect memories, and motives. Being to harsh is not going to get either party anywhere but only cause frustration and unreliable information. The point isn't to get a confession out, but to get the truth. I think it is more important to work out something with the suspect so that they feel safe and comfortable in confining in you. From there, hopefully the truth is told and not just a false confession due to increased pressure and manipulating a suspect.
According to the Reid technique, the signs that the suspect portray will lead to a answer. It is based on science that is no longer valid. If the suspect is showing anxiety through their body language then it means that they are guilty. Such acts include; folding your arms, looking away, pretending to pick lint, touching your hair, and fidgeting your leg. People often give false confessions because they feel trapped and that that's their only way out. Also, if they confess then they think something will work out on the other side. The Reid technique is completely untrusting and unreliable because anxiety does not mean that a person is lying, but simply uncomfortable in the situation for various of reasons.
According to "Increasing pressure does not benefit lie detection: a reply to Ten Brinke et al. (2015)", Verschuere states that often many crimes can be solved through EFFECTIVE interrogations. A lie detection would go off because of pressure that the suspect feels. According to this article, physically inadequate environments decrease the ability to successfully admit lies. I do not trust the information on this article because just as the Reid technique, the purpose is to get a confession out of someone and detect their lies to claim them guilty. Enhancing the pressure on a suspect should not be used because you are left with unreliable evidence and lead to a false confession.
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