The Fourth Edition of Criminal Interrogation and Confessions presents the Reid Technique of interviewing and interrogation and is the standard used in the field. The Fourth Edition presents interviewing and interrogation techniques, based on actual criminal cases, which have been used successfully by thousands of criminal investigators. This practical text is built around simple psychological principles and examines interrogation as a nine-step process that is easily understood by students.

In October 2003 the Third Edition of Criminal Interrogation and Confessions was cited in the U.S. Supreme Court case Missouri v. Seibert to clarify interrogation techniques.