Criminology Expert Witness On False Confessions

Pennsylvania prosecutors have questioned the admissibility of criminology expert witness Allison Redlich’s testimony in the homicide trial of Frederick Anthony Robinson. Redlich testified Wednesday by phone about her educational background and the methodology of her research of false confessions. She is currently an assistant professor in the school of criminal justice at the Albany, N.Y. branch of the State University of New York.

Robinson’s attorneys have said the jury’s understanding of the pathology of a false confession is integral to their defense. “This is a topic where there is extensive, lengthy research,” Redlich stated. The expert witness would testify during the trial about the generalities of false confessions and common characteristics but prosecutors believe her testimony should be inadmissible in the trial scheduled to begin next week.

For more, see Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.