South Carolina

Yesterday a South Carolina judge vacated the conviction of a teenager executed for a murder he likely did not commit. The court noted that the boy’s confession appeared coerced and unreliable. The growing awareness of false confessions is encouraging.

Supreme Court Setback

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court ruled that a police stop based on the officer’s false believe can lead to a legally valid search. Anything that leads to greater police discretion to detain and interrogate is apt to produce more false confessions.