Prisoners Freed From Sentences Based on Torture-Induced Confession
Torture extorts false confessions, a fact that was apparently irrelevant to interrogators who tortured detainees suspected of terrorism. The unreliability of torture-induced confessions was equally irrelevant to former Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge. In a series of posts dating back to 2003, TalkLeft followed the developing evidence of Burge's aggressive interrogation practices to this conclusion:
Burge and the detectives under his command found unchecked power to torture suspects, primarily black, on the south side of Chicago.
After the evidence of Burge's reliance on torture became too overwhelming to ignore, more than twenty cases that hinged on confessions given to Burge or his detectives were reviewed by the state attorney general's office. Yesterday, as a result of that review, Ronald Kitchen and Marvin Reeves were freed from prison after serving 21 years for multiple murders. The strongest evidence against them was Kitchen's torture-induced confession. [more ...]
< Troy Davis: 'The Most Compelling Case of Innocence in Decades' | Judge Vacates Ward Churchill Jury Verdict, Gives Him Nothing > |