Legal Definitions - third degree

The term third degree refers to a coercive and often unlawful method of interrogation used to extract a confession or information from a suspect or prisoner. This process typically involves intense psychological pressure, such as prolonged questioning, intimidation, threats, or even physical mistreatment, all designed to break an individual's resistance and compel them to provide desired information.

Here are some examples illustrating the concept of the third degree:

• Imagine a scenario where police officers detain a person suspected of a crime. Instead of following standard procedures, they subject the individual to an interrogation lasting over 24 hours without adequate breaks, food, or access to legal counsel. During this time, the officers repeatedly shout questions, make veiled threats about the suspect's family, and falsely claim to have irrefutable evidence, all in an attempt to force a confession. This sustained psychological pressure and denial of rights to compel a statement would be considered administering the third degree.

• Consider a situation within a correctional facility where guards believe a particular inmate possesses information about an upcoming escape attempt. To obtain this information, they might place the inmate in solitary confinement for an extended period, then bring them out for repeated, aggressive questioning. They might threaten to transfer the inmate to a more dangerous prison or revoke privileges indefinitely unless the inmate reveals what they know. This use of isolation and threats to coerce information exemplifies the application of the third degree.

• In a fictional spy thriller, an intelligence agency captures an enemy agent. To uncover critical operational details, the interrogators might employ techniques like sleep deprivation, exposure to extreme temperatures, and forcing the agent into uncomfortable stress positions for hours on end, interspersed with relentless questioning. These methods, designed to physically and mentally wear down the individual to extract intelligence, are classic examples of employing the third degree.