Ill. high court ruling offers new hope to inmates

Do not forget the victim clothes were in his bedroom and he was in possesion of the murder weapon. So unless he can explain away that stuff he would appear to be guilty.

Oh brother, the murder weapon and the victims clothing was found in his bed room.This is pretty incriminating if you ask me. This is so stupid! But I'm going to tell you the way a criminal thinks. In the criminals mind they are the victim even though they have just done something very heinous. They never accept responsibility for their own actions and its always somebody else's fault sometimes even the victims fault. But as a police officer I'm also going to say that Illinois and Wisconsin have some of the most corrupt departments in this nation.

The bottom line is... the more we look into the criminal justice system, the worst it looks. And the crazy part is that people still take police officers word as truth, always giving them the benefit of the doubt, w/o judging their statements with reason and common sense.

Wrice's might be guilty but Burge and his officers shouldn't have used violence to commit to a confession. Unfortunately "forced brutality" is justice gone very wrong no more "Innocent until proven Guilty" now you're just "Guilty" in these "to serve and protect" officers.

Glad to see some of this stuff come to light, years too short but at least it's becoming known!

My son was beaten by the police a number of times here in Cleveland, Ohio. He was arrested for drug possession a number of times, so I think, he think that it is ok, and did not file any charges against any of the police officers at any time. The last time he was arrested for drug possession the white policeman slam his foot into his neck, he went to jail with body pain. He never say anything to his family until months later. Now in jail they charge him with rape, I think to keep him off the street. This rape was done seven years ago. My son do not have an alibi or whiteness to his whereabouts seven years ago, so he was convicted of rape. My son went to prison some years ago, he gave up his DNA, yet the computer never match him for this rape. But while in jail on his last arrest the cop took his dna without his lawyer consent, so we think it was use to frame him. In his trial the white cops they all testified as if the crime happen a few days earlier, and not seven years before, while the black cops they could hardly remember the case. The victim did not know my son and the white cops took my son photos to her and tell her that my son is the one who raped her. The jury throw some charges out that would have given him some seventy years in prison. His lawyer could not argue the dna, but there was no gun shown to the jury, so the jury throw the gun possession out and that would have given my son three and a half years in prison. The Judge throw the jury verdict out and or add to it to give my son sixteen years in prison. I have a feeling his civil rights have be tampered with because he is black and son of islander. It is hard for me to believe he is a rapist, a drug dealer yes, because he drop out of school to let people turn him into one. He serve his time for all his drug dealing, but framing him for a crime he did not commit I will stand by him. I am not proud of his long criminal record but the law in Cleveland is very shady for black criminals. From cops who beat their suspects to judges who will not accept a jury verdicts but change or add their own. In my son case why have a trial.

This is why "torture" is never a useful tool. 1) People will admit to anything to make it stop, and 2) the confession gets thrown out and the method of obtaining it taints the whole procedure, 3) once it is established that torture is a routine practice of the police, ALL confessions become tainted.

Maybe burge should be questioned using a flashlight and rubber hose.

i think our justice systems work to a point. the real issue here is that the public has blinders on to what really happens. we the society find it easier to look the otherway then to actually get involved in our legal systems. that is until it happens to you. we can all sit on the sidelines and point fingers but truthfully the only ones that we have to blame is ourselves. i say this because we dont get invloved in knowing what it is that we vote for anymore we tend to go with the flow because this or that person is from the same party, i cant say as to which this person was guilty or not i wasnt there however, the problem isnt just the wrongful confessions but the lack of rehabilitation in the systems. there just has to be an equal ground here.

If confession was not needed since you claim he was guilty already, and you also said confession was "harmless error", then why did you need him to confess in the first place? Obviously the confession played the role in getting him guilty if your evidence was not enough. This article just isn't adding up on some parts.

Sounds like a local case where a person confessed to a crime he did commit
but the arresting officers added a lot of stuff to his statement that he did NOT do.
He went up on charges from the lies and was sentenced to 60 years. The newspapers
reported the lies and blew up everything to sell papers. When the reporter was in the
courtroom for the feds and heard that he did not do many of what he was accused of
and that he cooperated from the first, that did not make the papers, instead they still
reported on stuff he didn't do. Gotta love the system. The arresting officer also lied in
court and when caught he said "my bad" and nothing was done.

makes you wonder if Richard Bruno Hauptman really did kill the lindburg baby he was corced to write etc they way the cops wanted and the DA pushing for a conviction but what if the forensics was available then also the jury being exposed to the radio media and the anti german sentiment

those who serve the light can not use dark tools

The more we dig into police practice. The more we see and smell a cesspool of abuse of power. Men are still being released from jail because of DNA. In some cases, the prosecutors have said instead that the DNA doesn't show they didn't participate in the crime. Denying defense access to important files, lying that files don't exist, and a host of other prosecutorial misconduct is not making the situation any easier to accept.
The police have broad powers. The DA has wide latitude in use of discretion to prosecute cases.
They must have a very bright light brought down on their actions. If they are committing a criminal act in how they go about their duties, they should be charged and serve the same sentence as the worst in time and location of prison that their sentences were caused by misconduct. This should include the death penalty. They stole someones life and made them wait to die. They should do the full bit.

What sort of pinko country is America becoming. Cops can't even beat a confession out of someone anymore. Next thing you know, things like the FBI's murder at Ruby Ridge will get outlawed.

He's a rapist,and they never proved he was abused, the prosecution just never bothered to deny it. Fine, he gets a new trial without the confession,but with all the evidence outside of it,then he's convicted again and should get a new life sentence starting over at day 1. He deserves to be allowed out and to attend his daughters wedding the day his victim is unraped..

What's more criminal--releasing the criminal or keeping himwhere he belongs?

Unfortunately the unlawful methods this officer employed has these unwanted consequences, but the rule of law must be respected, as well as taking measures so this does not happen in the future.

And how many men have been imprisoned and then found innocent after spending over 20 years in prison..............over 20 that I know of. Also 2 electrocuted that were innocent. I am not saying this man is innocent, but you don't beat a confession out of anyone. Also, do you think he would keep the weapon and clothing in his room? Someone could have set him up, like the killer maybe? I don't know I don't have the whole story and neither does anyone else who is posting here.

"Our position has always been even if they were guilty ... the fact that they were tortured was a substantial violation of due process and should never, ever be allowed to stand,"
Willis said. -- Any kind of physical torture is wrong, but if they are guilty, then they should stay in jail. Each case should be reviewed individually. We need justice, not social justice.