Diagnosing Institutionalized 'Distrustworthiness'.

This article critically examines Katherine Hawley's commitment account of interpersonal trustworthiness alongside her skepticism about the philosophical value of modeling institutional trustworthiness as distinct from mere reliability. It argues that limiting institutional assessment to reliability alone results in significant explanatory loss, advocating instead for philosophical models of institutional trustworthiness and distrustworthiness to properly diagnose institutional dysfunction. Using the example of the U.S. police's Reid Technique—a widely used interrogation method associated with false confessions—the article illustrates how institutionalized distrustworthiness can manifest through systemic practices that betray public dependence and ethical commitments. It concludes that recognizing institutional trustworthiness and distrustworthiness is essential for understanding, holding accountable, and improving powerful social institutions.