Plea Bargains and False Confessions

For my readers who may not be familiar with what exactly a plea bargain is, please refer to the following:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSZZXgevT7k

http://www.libertyforlife.com/~clive/coppercards/coppercards/member_cards/criminal/cc_pela_bargain.htm


I think that the Michael Crowe case, as well as the more infamous West Memphis Three debacle are perfect examples of not only the incompetence, but of the consistently venal nature of our legal system. This is to say that a lot of the time a police force is more concerned with closing a case than they are with solving it.

Watching the Michael Crowe interrogation is disgusting; seeing trained professionals successfully obtain a false confession is sickening to me.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0tdOWZK4AA


http://truecrimezine.com/michael-crowe-false-confession/

The West Memphis Three case is an example of both false confessions and plea bargains. While the Alford Plea is not typical of the plea bargain cycle it DOES illustrate the system's self-image of infallibility. Much has been said about the WM3 case and I am not going to rehash it here. If any reader wants more info, please refer to the link below or email me and I'll tell you all about it. joshmaddog1976@gmail.com

http://www.wm3.org/CaseInfo

These are not the only cases where police or district attorneys fabricated or knowingly misrepresented facts. Again, it seems to me that a lot of the time there is more concern with closing a case that getting to truth. justice is sacrificed to a legal system that in my very humble opinion is anything but just.

Colin Abbott

I mentioned Colin in my Invictus blog, we spent a few months on the same block when I went back to jail in April of 2012. I didn't believe that he was guilty then, and suffice to say that my opinion hasn't changed. Yes, he is someone that I consider a friend & of course I am biased. Colin shared his Discovery Packet(a file provided to a defendant by the prosecution in preparation for trial) with me and it would be an understatement to say that the State if Pennsylvania's case was questionable at best. 

Colin did accept a plea agreement, in return for receiving 35 to 80 years as opposed to a life sentence. As I mentioned on Invictus, sometimes when the odds are against you a plea agreement can look good...even if you are innocent. In his case it gave him the possibility of eventual release. 

I will be maintaining this blog, presenting information and opinion about Colin's case along with periodic statements from Colin himself. 

It is our hope that this blog can lead to a dialogue about Colin's case specifically and about the flaws of our legal system in general. As with Invictus, this blog will not be censored. Readers will be encouraged to post opinions for or against Colin. Or any arguments related to the topic.

I will be waiting for Colin to send me specific information that he wants to be made public, and from there we will have regular entries. 

I would like to end this entry with a quote from the Buddha: "Question everything. Find your own truth."