Report: Chicago Is False Confession Capital

Mark @ 12/10/2012 10:29 PM

I watched this 60 Minute special. What is appalling to me is that the defendants and media are upset about the rape victim having DNA "in her" that didn't match the convicted suspects - they argue the DNA left behind tells the truth that it wasn't them. But they forget to emphasize a very important fact...SHE WAS A PROSTITUTE. Of course the DNA in her could have been someone else's.

S.S @ 12/11/2012 6:04 AM

They only tell you what they want to tell you. There are specifics to this story that should have been mentioned, and they weren't. AGAIN IT'S WHAT THEY WANT!!!

DPB @ 12/11/2012 2:16 PM

So 60 Minutes, that bastion of truth, justice, and the American way, says the cops are lying and made up facts and doing what Chicago politicians, Obama, and 60 Minutes, themselves (thank you Mike Wallace, Walter Cronkite, etc.) have been doing all along, and that the cops are crooked and incompetent?
I'd say that is the pot calling the kettle black! (no racism implied to pots and kettles.)

Ima Leprechaun @ 12/11/2012 3:03 PM

I suspect this isnt just Chicago but most big US cities. Beatings of prisoners is still common practice across the USA and as long as that is encourgaed there will be false confessions. I have handled many prisoners with odd manerisms and I found they had these due to forced confessions and frequent beatings at the hands of big city agencies. While the administrations "look down" on these practices while speaking to the public they do turn a blind eye to them while prisoners are in custody. This is just American Law Enforcement and while many are trying to change, this it still goes on. We really can't be called professional until all this non-sense stops. Police corruption is bad all over and the good officers know this but they dont want to be harassed and killed by their own fellow officers so they tend to not report abuses out of fear.

John @ 12/12/2012 12:19 AM

Damn, the world must be coming to an end. I'm mostly agreeing with Ima Leprechaun on an issue. I'm very conservative on most law enforcement/public safety issues, but I'm Libertarian concerning the issue of police interrogations. I do not think people should be pressured into confessions through the use of prolonged interrogations. Threats, physical abuse, stress, misplaced guilt, sleep deprivation, need to use restroom, hunger/thirst, and police dishonesty/games are all factors that need to be addressed. I think no individual should be interrogated for more than an hour in a 24 hour period.

Real Police Officer @ 12/12/2012 3:25 AM

Interrogations are usually based on available evidence or at least some belief the person in your custody has committed the crime. When the person confesses, in most cases, he substantiates his confession by leading you to new evidence or at least provides details that only he should have. I,ve been a police officer for 33 years and established most of my career in "Big City Law Enforcement". I have never seen a confession beaten out of anyone. Does it happen? I'm sure. Is it common, @#$% No. But it doesn't go like this. Did you do it? "no" come on please tell us the truth. "No, I did not do it" Okay Dano, let him go home. Let the professionals handle it folks. We see you over our shoulder.

prerry @ 2/4/2013 3:55 PM

Bottom line is that if kids can become desensitized by playing video games daily then so can Officers, Investagators and Prosecutors by dealing with negitive bad stuff every single day. Officers become addicted to busting people and need thier fix, so to speak. They so not want to be wrong on cases. Too much is put on Officers as they are only human. Being human is a fault all of it own.