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Analysis Of Scott O. Lilienfeld's 50 Great Myths Of Guilty

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Innocent Until Proven “Guilty”

The United States justice system promises things like the right to a fair trial and a public defender if one is not able to afford a lawyer of their own. However, one thing that the public is not promised is protection from themselves. Scott O. Lilienfeld's 50 Great Myths Of Popular Psychology states that a common misconception is that "virtually all people who confess to a crime are guilty of it." Through my reading and extended research, I have discovered a vast amount of information pertaining to false confessions. Although I knew this to be a myth, due to today's society desire for simple answers, it does not surprise me that this myth is so widely believed. Therefore, I believe it is an important topic to be researched and analyzed.
There are thousands of other sources that are able to support Lilienfeld's claim. In the article "A Rare Look at the Police Tactics That Can Lead to False Confessions" the author Gretchen Gavett explains how false confessions can be coerced out of innocent suspects. In a 2008 murder case policed locked the mother of the victim, the main suspect, in an interrogation room for several hours. They presented Ms. Trung with false evidence, acted …show more content…

The article "Why Do Innocent People Make False Confessions?" by Charles Montaldo explains other motives behind false confessions. One of the most prominent motives is the fame that comes with high profile cases. When famous aviator Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped there were over 200 people that came forward as the perpetrator just to obtain there 15 seconds of fame. Montaldo explains these confessions stem from a pathological obsession for public attention. The article also mentions other motives such as protecting the real criminal and the hope that if they are convicted that their sentence will be

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