Interrogations-and-Confessions-Handbook

422 A Psychology of Interrogations and Confessions
Table 15.1. The percentage of offenders who reported being under the
influence of alcohol or drugs while committing the offence and during the police
interview (N = 344)
‘Not at all’ ‘Somewhat’ ‘Very much so’
Question % % %
Were you under the influence of
alcohol when you committed the
offence?
Were you under the influence of
other intoxicating substances
during the offence?
Were you under the influence of
alcohol during the police
interview?
Were you under the influence of
other intoxicating substances
during the police interview?
Did you experience withdrawal
symptoms during the police
interview?
Adapted from Sigurdsson and Gudjonsson (1994).
36 13 51
67 7 26
64 20 16
78 10 12
61 19 20
and drug offenders were most commonly under the influence of drugs while
committing the offences, while violent offenders and traffic violators (mainly
drunk drivers) were more commonly intoxicated by alcohol.
As far as the police interviews are concerned, 36% of the inmates claimed
to have been under the influence of alcohol during the police interview, with
16% claiming that this was ‘very much so’. The corresponding figures for other
intoxicating substances were 22 and 12%, respectively. The figures were even
higher with regard to withdrawal symptoms during the police interview. A total
of 39% claimed to have experienced some symptoms, and 20% stated that this
was ‘very much so’.
These figures suggest that, among this group of Icelandic offenders, many
of them claimed to have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol when
interviewed by the police, or were experiencing withdrawal symptoms. This
being the case it is important to understand how these factors may have affected
them during the police interviews. This was achieved by examining the factor
structure of the GCQ (see Sigurdsson & Gudjonsson, 1994). One of the findings
from the study was that alcohol intoxication, drug intoxication and withdrawal
symptoms are associated with suspects feeling confused during interrogation,
but they do not appear to be associated with anxiety or difficulties in coping
with police interview. The same findings were found in an extension to the
1994 study (Gudjonsson & Sigurdsson, 1999). The main implication of these
findings is that drugs and alcohol may impair suspects’ ability to think clearly
and may impair their capacity for rational decision making. Not being able to
think clearly may make it difficult for some suspects to fully understand their
legal rights and the questions asked, as well as not being able to articulate