Re:Why people confess to crimes they didn’t commit
by xur17 on Sunday June 16, 2019 @08:04PM
(#20198728)
> If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you before any questioning if you wish.
I've always wondered this - what if I can afford a lawyer, but don't want to burn $500 talking to someone about a traffic citation? Do I then have to pay, and if so, what constitutes "cannot afford"?
Re:Why people confess to crimes they didn’t commit
by klyrs on Sunday June 16, 2019 @08:05PM
(#20198736)
>If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you before any questioning if you wish.
Public defenders are notoriously overworked, and are often only allowed a few minutes per case. This is one of many aspects of the justice system that is completely eroded and disproportionately fails the poor.
http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/this-public-defender-...
Re:Why people confess to crimes they didn’t commit
by gamblor956 on Monday June 17, 2019 @10:53AM
(#20203571)
When I worked as a public defender (in CA) we were winning roughly 2/3rds of our cases...the same as the private defense bar managed.. and securing much better plea deals than private counsel could, since the DAs were more inclined to negotiate with people they had to see every day.
>If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you before any questioning if you wish.