Torture is its Own Reward
Jul 26th, 2005 at 5:02 pm by Susie
Okay, so torture doesn’t work. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun:
A new study finds some people under interrogation will confess to crimes they did not commit, either to end the questioning or because they become convinced they did it.
An unrelated study last year found it is fairly easy to create false memories in people in a lab setting.
Lack of sleep and isolation contribute to false confessions, the scientists say in the new study, announced today. A suspect’s mental status and lack of education play roles.
And besides, why is it our problem if they’re not guilty? They must have done something, somewhere they got away with, or we wouldn’t have arrested them to begin with.
This is the New America: Guilty until proven innocent. There you have it.
What about “guilty until proven guiltier”? That’s even better for all sorts of purposes.