Having grown up in the UK and known people to have been convicted of crimes, it's never struck me as disgusting or something that is particularly unfair. You're within your rights to refuse to answer a question, but this could be used against you in court.

"Where were you on the night of the killing?"

"..."

Prosecution could well use your initial refusal to answer this question to aid their case in court, even if you then provide some answer within court.

I am very unfamiliar with American law concerning these matters, so I'm not sure how much of a divide there is between America and the UK when it comes to this.