The Cases Against T - An Exploration of Risk Factors for False Confessions in a Danish Police Investigation and Subsequent Court Proceedings
Abstract
In 1986 and 1989 T was convicted of multiple offenses, including 27 cases of arson causing 35 deaths and attempted rape and violence resulting in the death of a 15-year-old girl. T, who had an intellectual disability, confessed to all charges. In 2022, the Danish Special Court of Indictment and Revision rejected a request to reopen the cases. In this article, we examine two public court documents to identify potential risk factors for false confessions. We argue that nine recognized risk factors were most likely present, no protective factors were identified, and forensic psychology research was only minimally considered.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Deception detection and forensic psychology
Criminal Law and Policy
Jury Decision Making Processes
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Forensic Psychology Research and Practice
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Pages
- 1–32
- Publication date
- 5 February 2026
- Language
- EN