When the Guilty WalkFree: The Role of Police in Preventing Wrongful Convictions

摘要

It does not take long on the job for a rookie police officer to realize that hardly anyone admits guilt, even when caught red-handed. Sometimes a skillful interrogator can elicit a confession, but just as often-maybe more often-suspects continue to maintain their innocence right through conviction and sentencing, even if they take plea bargains. Most of the time, actual guilt is not really in question. Regardless of whether the suspect admits it, the police, the prosecutor, and the court get it right. Guilty people go to prison.