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Also I think we should stop making it a requirement of parole that the convict admit to the crime of which they have been convicted. I certainly understand why

Also I think we should stop making it a requirement of parole that the convict admit to the crime of which they have been convicted. I certainly understand why parole boards have required these admissions. If someone has committed a crime but will take no responsibility for it, that certainly does not bode well for their future behavior. The problem is that the justice system is not perfect, and occasionally convicts an innocent person. It's not right to demand that someone admit to a crime they actually didn't commit, and to deny them parole until they do. Accordingly I submit that the only consideration for parole should be the convict's behavior while incarcerated.

thatswrong0 12y ago
> The problem is that the justice system is not perfect, and occasionally convicts an innocent person. Occasionally? Given the 4% rate of false conviction for death penalty defendents (http://www.pnas.org/content/111/20/7230.abstract http://www.pnas.org/content/111/20/7230.abstract) and the fact that 97% percent of criminal cases dealt with in the U.S. don't even go to trial, it's far more than occasionally. Often. Quite often.
- shasta 12y ago
  One of the central tenets of our criminal justice system is that it is better that two and a half guilty men be set free than for one innocent man to be falsely convicted.
- thaumasiotes 12y ago
  Without disagreeing, consider the following thought experiment: The rate of conviction in Hypothetica is 100% for all crimes. If you're charged, you get convicted. What percentage of the convicted were convicted falsely?