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karri0n
Mind Traveller
Registered: 08/29/20
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Last seen: 8 days, 49 minutes
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Can you be convicted of a crime that didn't happen with a confession and no evidence or accusers?
#26985979 - 10/14/20 08:30 PM (3 years, 5 months ago) |
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If you "turned yourself in" and confessed to cultivation, trafficking, and sale of an illegal substance but provided no evidence, could you be charged and convicted?
I would think probably not if you just walked in off the street. But what if you were in custody for a domestic or something?
Edited by karri0n (10/14/20 08:32 PM)
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SpookyMulder
Monkey
Registered: 05/17/18
Posts: 78
Loc: PNW
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Re: Can you be convicted of a crime that didn't happen with a confession and no evidence or accusers? [Re: karri0n]
#26986118 - 10/14/20 10:10 PM (3 years, 5 months ago) |
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Did you do this?
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karri0n
Mind Traveller
Registered: 08/29/20
Posts: 698
Last seen: 8 days, 49 minutes
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Re: Can you be convicted of a crime that didn't happen with a confession and no evidence or accusers? [Re: SpookyMulder]
#26986136 - 10/14/20 10:21 PM (3 years, 5 months ago) |
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Lol, no.
Just a stupid wondering. Although I could see someone maybe doing this for protection or to avoid living on the street.
-------------------- Panaeolus Bisporus
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SpookyMulder
Monkey
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Posts: 78
Loc: PNW
Last seen: 5 days, 2 hours
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Re: Can you be convicted of a crime that didn't happen with a confession and no evidence or accusers? [Re: karri0n]
#26986147 - 10/14/20 10:34 PM (3 years, 5 months ago) |
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That's what I was kind of wondering, I've heard of people doing stuff to get into jail for the free housing and such. Glad you're not in this situation, though.
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DancingWolf
FluffButt
Registered: 08/31/19
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Re: Can you be convicted of a crime that didn't happen with a confession and no evidence or accusers? [Re: SpookyMulder]
#26990913 - 10/18/20 01:50 AM (3 years, 5 months ago) |
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I suppose you could then be arrested for lying to a peace officer if you didn't actually do anything, but I can't say if anything would become of it. I'm not an attorney, nor do I play one on TV.
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Alan Rockefeller
Mycologist
Registered: 03/10/07
Posts: 48,358
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Re: Can you be convicted of a crime that didn't happen with a confession and no evidence or accusers? [Re: karri0n]
#26992641 - 10/19/20 10:01 AM (3 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
DancingWolf said: I suppose you could then be arrested for lying to a peace officer if you didn't actually do anything, but I can't say if anything would become of it. I'm not an attorney, nor do I play one on TV.
I don't think lying to a peace officer is a crime in the USA unless they are federal, people do that all the time.
Quote:
karri0n said: If you "turned yourself in" and confessed to cultivation, trafficking, and sale of an illegal substance but provided no evidence, could you be charged and convicted?
I would think probably not if you just walked in off the street. But what if you were in custody for a domestic or something?
People get convicted based on false confessions all the time, it's extremely common. Usually it's because the cops put someone who doesn't understand the legal system very well in a room and pressure them for many hours, and they finally confess to something they didn't do just to get out of the interrogation.
This podcast series explains the issue in detail, and is really well done and very much worth listening to:
https://www.law.northwestern.edu/legalclinic/wrongfulconvictions/wrongful-conviction-podcast/
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karri0n
Mind Traveller
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Posts: 698
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Re: Can you be convicted of a crime that didn't happen with a confession and no evidence or accusers? [Re: Alan Rockefeller]
#26994532 - 10/20/20 01:00 PM (3 years, 5 months ago) |
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Well I get that, but I'm not talking about a crime the cops are trying to pin on you.
Let's say you sold a bunch of a controlled substance, it's all gone, there's no proof you did it, no one came forward saying they got it from you or anything.
Or let's say you didn't even do that.
You then "turn yourself in" for distribution and give a confession with no details that can be completely corroborated, just that you were selling drugs between these dates.
Could they/ would they seek charges?
-------------------- Panaeolus Bisporus
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Alan Rockefeller
Mycologist
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Posts: 48,358
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Re: Can you be convicted of a crime that didn't happen with a confession and no evidence or accusers? [Re: karri0n]
#26996690 - 10/21/20 04:29 PM (3 years, 5 months ago) |
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Usually drug crimes require evidence, but a confession could do, really depends on the mood/policies of the cops and the prosecutor.
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