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My experience with the US justice system was as a 16 year old part-time employee of a local grocery store that was robbed. I realized that the police were not

My experience with the US justice system was as a 16 year old part-time employee of a local grocery store that was robbed. I realized that the police were not what children's shows illustrated them as when I was given a polygraph for a crime I did not commit. And then brought in BY MYSELF with 0 indication I could have either a guardian or lawyer, and told that I failed the polygraph and that I should confess now so they would go lightly on me. I have never been so terrified of anything in my life. Looking back, and after spending the rest of my high school career researching the "science" behind polygraph, that's exactly what the purpose of the polygraph was. Your "results" aren't important. Your answers are important. If you deviate, even when the police explicitly tell you to lie to set a baseline (as they did for me; I refused and said that I would lie about something else not related to the actual crime), they've got you for a crime you didn't commit. Just garbage people controlling a garbage system intended to enact garbage things for garbage reasons.

Ididntdothis 7y ago
“should confess now so they would go lightly on me.” That’s how they get a lot of people to confess things they didn’t do. If you are poor and can’t afford a lawyer you will likely accept a wrong plea for a few years versus the threat of twenty years or more in prison. It’s a pretty bad system.
- Mirioron 7y ago
  How come this type of thing isn't highly discouraged? As in, law enforcement or the justice system pressuring people into this should be a taboo with serious punishments. We have laws around entrapment, so how come this is okay?
  - P_I_Staker 7y ago
    Truth doesn't matter. If you "get the charges through", you're successful, with little to no penalty for failure, as a LEO or prosecutor. Innocence and guilt are irrelevant. Justice, fair punishment, and rehabilitation are also not relevant. Success is measured by man-years in prison (or arrests for law enforcement). Usually there's room to just blame someone else if you do face scrutiny. Honestly, I think this is a result of greater cultural issue in the US (maybe other countries too, I just can't speak for the culture).
  - Ididntdothis 7y ago
    Because if everything went to trial the system would break down. I have read that 90% never go to trial instead there is some kind of plea bargain. If that practice got abolished the court system would need to grow a lot. It’s cheaper to throw innocent people into jail.
  - tyingq 7y ago
    News programs perpetuate the idea that lie detectors work. Dateline, for example, will imply that refusing to take one is suspicious.
  - gambiting 7y ago
    They get rewarded for successful convictions. And they always have the same defense - if those people aren't guilty, why are they confessing? Which is obviously stupid, if your choice is to serve 2 years now or risk getting 20 if the jury doesn't like you, then unfortunately the smart choice is to lie and take the 2 years. Jury system is also absolute nonsense and should be abolished.
    - Ididntdothis 7y ago
      The jury system is fine. Excessive use of plea bargains is the problem.
      - watwut 7y ago
        Jury system is very expensive. Including for defendant who is going to be bankrupt having to pay for defense.
        kelnos 7y ago
        The jury system has nothing to do with the costs defendants have to bear.
  - tyingq 7y ago
    Cops are also allowed to lie in the US. Like "we have your fingerprints and DNA", even if it's not remotely true.

Ididntdothis 7y ago

“should confess now so they would go lightly on me.” That’s how they get a lot of people to confess things they didn’t do. If you are poor and can’t afford a lawyer you will likely accept a wrong plea for a few years versus the threat of twenty years or more in prison. It’s a pretty bad system.

Mirioron 7y ago
How come this type of thing isn't highly discouraged? As in, law enforcement or the justice system pressuring people into this should be a taboo with serious punishments. We have laws around entrapment, so how come this is okay?
- P_I_Staker 7y ago
  Truth doesn't matter. If you "get the charges through", you're successful, with little to no penalty for failure, as a LEO or prosecutor. Innocence and guilt are irrelevant. Justice, fair punishment, and rehabilitation are also not relevant. Success is measured by man-years in prison (or arrests for law enforcement). Usually there's room to just blame someone else if you do face scrutiny. Honestly, I think this is a result of greater cultural issue in the US (maybe other countries too, I just can't speak for the culture).
- Ididntdothis 7y ago
  Because if everything went to trial the system would break down. I have read that 90% never go to trial instead there is some kind of plea bargain. If that practice got abolished the court system would need to grow a lot. It’s cheaper to throw innocent people into jail.
- tyingq 7y ago
  News programs perpetuate the idea that lie detectors work. Dateline, for example, will imply that refusing to take one is suspicious.
- gambiting 7y ago
  They get rewarded for successful convictions. And they always have the same defense - if those people aren't guilty, why are they confessing? Which is obviously stupid, if your choice is to serve 2 years now or risk getting 20 if the jury doesn't like you, then unfortunately the smart choice is to lie and take the 2 years. Jury system is also absolute nonsense and should be abolished.
  - Ididntdothis 7y ago
    The jury system is fine. Excessive use of plea bargains is the problem.
    - watwut 7y ago
      Jury system is very expensive. Including for defendant who is going to be bankrupt having to pay for defense.
      - kelnos 7y ago
        The jury system has nothing to do with the costs defendants have to bear.
- tyingq 7y ago
  Cops are also allowed to lie in the US. Like "we have your fingerprints and DNA", even if it's not remotely true.