Wednesday, Dec. 07, 2011
False Confessions May Lead to More Errors in Evidence, Study Shows
Of all the stupefyingly self-evident studies science conducted this year (and, as in every year, it conducted a lot of them) this was one of the finest. So let's sort out its findings: saying you did something you really didn't do in a criminal trial intended to determine if you did or didn't do it may lead to factual problems. Clarence Darrow, watch out! The announcement of this multi-institute study also included the insight that "Confessions, when true, are an important tool in convicting criminals." Yep, the jury will stipulate to that.