Mr. Big: Exposing Undercover Investigations in Canada in Bloomington, MN

After surveying more than 80 cases in which a confession was accepted as evidence in a "Mr. Big" organized crime sting, these legal experts suggest changes in undercover police practices in Canada. "Mr. Big" in these cases is a policeman posing as a criminal kingpin in order to coerce a confession from a suspect, but this study finds that this ruse is most successful when the suspect is from a marginalized group. In addition, police officers sometimes commit criminal offences while undercover—or they fake criminal behavior during the course of the sting—and the pretend ‘interrogations‘ are not bounded by normal interview standards. On these grounds, the authors propose that this practice be drastically curtailed.