Third degree (interrogation)
Encyclopedia
The third degree is a euphemism for the "inflicting of pain, physical or mental, to extract confessions or statements". In 1931 the Wickersham Commission
found that use of the third degree was widespread in the United States
. No one knows the origin of the term but there are several hypotheses. The use of the third degree was technically made illegal after the Wickersham report. However, the interrogation method known as the Reid technique
, which is now widely used by law enforcement in the U.S., is seen by many as simply a psychological version of the third degree in that it's equally capable of extracting a false confession through coercion when abused by police.
Wickersham Commission
U.S. President Herbert Hoover established the Wickersham Commission, officially called the National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement, on May 20th, 1929. Former Attorney General George W...
found that use of the third degree was widespread in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. No one knows the origin of the term but there are several hypotheses. The use of the third degree was technically made illegal after the Wickersham report. However, the interrogation method known as the Reid technique
Reid technique
The Reid technique is a method of questioning subjects and assessing their credibility. The technique consists of a non-accusatory interview combining both investigative and behavior-provoking questions...
, which is now widely used by law enforcement in the U.S., is seen by many as simply a psychological version of the third degree in that it's equally capable of extracting a false confession through coercion when abused by police.
Possible origins
- The third degree of FreemasonryFreemasonryFreemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
and the rigorous procedures to advance to that level. - The term may have been coined by Richard H. SylvesterRichard H. SylvesterRichard H. Sylvester was the Chief of Police for Washington, District of Columbia, USA for 17 years from July in 1898 to April in 1915. He is one of the people credited with coining the term third degree for police interrogation...
, the Chief of PoliceChief of policeA Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...
for Washington, DC. He divided police procedures into the arrest as the first degree, transportation to jail as the second degree, and interrogationInterrogationInterrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
as the third degreeThird degree-Third degree:* Third degree , colloquially an intensive rough interrogation* The degree of Master Mason in Freemasonry, often written as 3°* In USA law, the least serious of the three classifications of felonies such as murder or burglary...
. - The term may have been coined by nineteenth century New York City Police detective Thomas F. Byrnes, perhaps as a pun on his name, as in third degree burns.