VISUAL PRESENTATIONS IN DUTCH POLICE INTERROGATIONS: AN ANALYSIS AND LESSONS FOR THE UNITED STATES1

For at least a decade, police investigators in some units of the Dutch National Police have been using visual presentations--most often PowerPoint, sometimes other methods, including video--when interrogating suspects. The aim is to increase the likelihood of obtaining full and accurate statements from suspects who would otherwise not be willing to make them. However, the use of visual presentations also poses risks. A biased presentation could, for instance, mislead the suspect into perceiving the evidence against him as stronger than it actually is, and thus to confess when it may not be in his best interests to do so. At the extreme, visual presentations could induce false confessions. Here, Dekker and Feigenson outline the law and practice of Dutch police interrogations along with relevant aspects of the Dutch criminal justice process generally.