Ava DuVernay and Netflix are being sued over the critically acclaimed miniseries When They See Us.
On Monday, Oct. 14, 2019, attorneys representing the Chicago-based company John E. Reid and Associates Inc. filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming that it has been defamed by DuVernay and Netflix by the way its trademarked interrogation method, known as the Reid Technique, was portrayed in the miniseries.
According to the lawsuit, Reid and Associates’ attorneys says the method “does not involve and prohibits: striking or assaulting a subject, making any promises of leniency, denying a subject any rights, conducting excessively long interrogations, and urges extreme caution and care to be taken when interrogating juveniles.”
However, in 1989, five Black and Latino teens — formerly known as the Central Park Five — were forced into confessing to the rape of a White female jogger that they did not commit. In 2002, all five were eventually exonerated.
According to Reid and Associates’ website, here are five things to know about the Reid Technique, which is at the heart of the defamation lawsuit against DuVernay and Netflix.
What is the Reid Technique?
Created by John Reid, a former cop, the Reid Technique is used by police and detectives as a way to achieve a successful interrogation. It seeks to cause discomfort and intimidation with the hopes of getting a confession from a suspect.
The Reid Technique can be manipulative.
The technique calls for the detective to confidently tell the suspect that he or she was involved with the crime. During interrogation, the detective will invade the suspect’s personal space to increase discomfort. In When They See Us, the five teens endured hours of questioning without a parent or guardian present and were told by detectives that they committed the crime.
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