Why do people falsely confess?
Advocates for the Norfolk Four are asking Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine to grant clemency to the men, as their legal appeals have been exhausted. Those who ask the governor to let the convictions stand say that the confessions are credible and that the governor should not overturn a jury’s verdict. However, the history of DNA exonerations shows that confessions are often false – almost 25 percent of wrongful convictions later overturned by DNA testing involve a false confession or admission. False confessions are often caused by threats of the death penalty – which are alleged in the Norfolk case – and threats of physical harm. The Times Magazine article considers the case of Christopher Ochoa: In connection with the state’s review of the Norfolk Four case, the Virginia parole board recently heard from Christopher Ochoa, who confessed to a rape and murder in Austin in 1988 and implicated his roommate, Richard Danziger. Ochoa, then 22 and with no criminal record, said the police threatened hi
