Why did the Killer of Jacob Wetterling Confess?

killer of jacob wetterling confessIn federal court in Minnesota, a middle-aged man named Danny Heinrich confessed to being the killer of Jacob Wetterling, an eleven year old boy Heinrich kidnapped in 1989.  It has been one of the most infamous—and chilling—cases in the history of the state.  Unsolved for twenty-seven years, the case led to changes in how kids are protected, new …

Science to Reform the Criminal Justice System

criminal justice systemHere’s a great editorial from the New York Times from law professor, Adam Benforado. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/14/opinion/flawed-humans-flawed-justice.html?ref=opinion He argues that our present system is old and based on inaccurate ways we assume people act.  In order to reform the criminal justice system, he argues, we should apply the results of new scientific research about human behavior.  What are the faulty …

Will Torture Get Confessions?

After arresting the Detroit terrorist on Christmas Day, several “experts” spoke through the media saying it was a mistake to take Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab into civil custody and allow him to have a lawyer.

Once he was “lawyered up,” he refused to speak.

The assumption was that if the authorities had free access to him, they could have …