The sunk cost fallacy is a cognitive bias that occurs when someone makes a decision based on previously invested time, effort, or money. If you're an American

The sunk cost fallacy is a cognitive bias that occurs when someone makes a decision based on previously invested time, effort, or money. If you're an American police officer, you probably don't continue arresting a person because you previously invested so much time and effort in beating the shit out of him. You continue arresting him to teach him a lesson, or because you think he's a dirtbag, or to fabricate a crime to deter him from filing a complaint against you. You continue arresting him because you hope to cover up your own crimes. This is not an example of the sunk cost fallacy.