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False Confessions

Table: Age and Mental Status of Exonerated Defendants Who Falsely Confess – 18 April 2022
The age and mental status of exonerees who falsely confess as of N=3,060 Read more.

For 50 Years, You’ve Had “The Right to Remain Silent” – 12 June 2016
Why do so many suspects confess to crimes they didn’t commit? This article explains, “Innocent suspects confess because they are terrified and confused and exhausted; because they are deceived or tricked; because they don’t understand what they are doing; because they feel hopeless and helpless and isolated.” Read more.

Guilty Pleas and False Confessions – 24 November 2015
People who contact the Registry with questions about false confessions often equate an exoneree’s guilty plea with a false confession. Guilty pleas, in court, and confessions—typically at police precincts—are related but different. As this article reports, “An exoneree who falsely confessed is more than three times more likely to plead guilty to a crime she didn’t commit than an exoneree who did not confess.” Read more.