Examples Of False Confessions

In section 82(1) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, state that a confession can include any statement that is wholly or partly adverse to the person who made it, whether it is made to the person in authority or not or whether it is in words or otherwise. In section 76 of PACE a confession maybe excluded if there are evidence to suggest that oppression or torture had been used (HMSO, 1889). Theodor Reik (1959) a psychoanalyst, found that many people will make false confessions. The false confession is thought to originate from the unconscious compulsive need to confess. Reik concluded that the unconscious compulsion to confess gratifies the need for punishment. The need for punishment leads from punishment to confession (Conti, 1999). In some cases, the police officers may relieve a suspect from a feeling of guilt by encouraging the suspect to ‘get it of their chest’, such using internal pressure. Many will often fail to make a confession (Pearse, Gudjonsson, Clare, & Rutter, 1998). One of the most notorious case of Judith Ward 1974, found that false confession had been used. Ward had made details self-incriminating
The juries do not bring a personal knowledge of the defendant and his character into the court. They are not required to comment on the law but to simply answer the question on whether the accusation took place as allege (Cole, 2012). The jury decision making is thought to be the most importance in the criminal justice system. Evidence have shown that from the opinion polls, there has been a strong public support for jury trials (Thomas, 2010). Over a fifth (22%) of people said the experience was fulfilling on a personal level, and 17 per cent said that the most positive aspect of their service was the way it enhanced their confidence in the criminal justice system (Matthews et al,