Wrongful Convictions Ioachimescu the English

Wrongful Convictions Ioachimescu The English jurist William Blackstone once declared that it would be "better for ten guilty persons to escape than for one innocent to suffer." The principle is still applicable today as wrongful convictions do so much damage and ruin so many lives. They can no longer be considered simple "regrettable anomalies" of a system that works properly.

There are many factors leading to such unfortunate developments in a case out of which the most important are: insufficient, corrupted or false evidence, untrue witness statements, including confessions, biased evaluations and other unfortunate happenings. Wrongful convictions due to false confessions are a great problem that the criminal justice system has been and is still facing. Statistics have been drafted regarding the number of wrongful convictions due to false confessions. Unfortunately, the real extent of the phenomenon is unknown since the majority of the false confessions remain undiscovered.

Such confessions can only be discovered when the innocence of the convicted person has been established and when an investigation of the case takes place. Moreover, an evaluation could prove to be quite difficult since the untrue statement of a witness could be caused by many factors. One factor is represented by the possible pressures put upon the witnesses or the suspects by the police, prosecutors, judges, victims, relatives of the victims and others involved in the legal procedure.

To most common people, the thought that somebody would confess to a crime that they have not committed is simply unacceptable. Rationally analyzing the phenomenon, in some situations a false confession becomes understandable, cases of torture, mental illness, trying to protect somebody else, and in most acceptable as something that happens and that must be prevented. Unfortunately, the actors of the criminal justice system - police, prosecutors, jurors, judges - have the same thoughts as every Tom, Dick and Harry.

Why would somebody confess to a crime they did not commit? According to professor Kassin, Saul, there are several types of people who falsely confess: compulsive type-attention seeker -- confesses to gain a piece of the fame, impress others, or to get attention compulsive type-homeless -- confesses as a way to get off the streets compulsive type-fugitive -- confesses to avoid being prosecuted for a crime elsewhere with stiffer penalties compulsive type-guilty conscience -- confesses because believes they are guilty of something coerced-compliant type -- Kassin's type who pleads guilty to avoid something aversive in their home environment coerced-internalized type -- Kassin's type who comes to believe in their guilt out of interrogation or persuasion" The problem, however, is deeper than the false confession in itself.

It is to be found in the effects that the confession has: "dubious forensic evidence, police failure to pursue viable alternative suspects, incorrect or perjured eyewitness identifications, prosecutorial misconduct, and ineffective.