False Confessions

It may seem inconceivable that a defendant would give a false confession, and yet it is an extraordinarily common occurrence. Police misconduct may be to blame for many false confessions, but there are many factors that may lead a person to admit to a crime they did not commit.

The Innocence Project reports that false confessions take place in 24 % of approximately 289 convictions reversed because of DNA evidence. Youth, those with mental health issues, and individuals under the influence of drugs and alcohol are especially susceptible to suggestion and therefore tend to be over-represented in false confession data. [1] For an overview on false confessions, we’ve provided a few helpful links below: