The Reid Technique calls for a theme to be created.
The detective lays out a theme — a story — that the suspect can agree with to justify the rationale for why the crime was committed. The detective will continue to come up with different themes until the suspect agrees to the story. In When They See Us, the teen suspects would eventually agree with false stories, which ultimately led to their convictions.
The Reid Technique seeks to deny suspects from announcing their innocence.
The technique suggests that a suspect will gain confidence if he or she continues to deny guilt. So in order to decrease that confidence, the detective will try to interrupt all denials of the crime. In When They See Us, all teenage suspects endured similar treatment.
The Reid Technique seeks a confession in which suspects state that they were not coerced.
In the final stage of the interrogation, the detective will work on obtaining a written confession or statement on video. At this point, the suspect is willing to do anything to escape interrogation. The suspect will confirm that his or her confession was voluntary, not coerced, and then sign the statement in front of witnesses. In When They See Us, four of the five teenage suspects confessed to the crime and stated that they were not coerced. Yusef Salaam was the lone teenage suspect who did not sign a confession.
