Constitutional Law: Activity Search Warrant Exceptions - Assignment Example

The Frontline Online Magazine (November, 9th "Introduction." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. . IntroductionThis article delves into issues ascribed to the confession of five men over the rape and murder of woman in Norfolk Virginia. It specifically, elaborates an investigation that was performed by the writer to determine factors surrounding their confessions. These confessions are believed to have been performed by coercing the suspects to admit that they had committed the crime.Analysis of the ConfessionsThere are various issues surrounding the confessions that were given by the five men, specifically: Danial Williams, Erick Wilson, Omar Ballard, Joe Dick and Derek Tice.

The five men were made to confess for the rape and murder of a lady by the name Michelle Bosko in 1997. The confessions are associated with controversies owing to the fact that DNA examinations that were conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation provided results indicating that: Only Omar Ballard’s DNA matched the DNA that were found at the scene of the crime. This raised many questions.The article elaborates the various ways through, which the four suspects were coerced into admitting they had committed the crime.

Danial William narrates how he was compelled to admit having committed this crime for example: He says that the interrogator constantly yelled at him saying that he is a liar. The article also indicates the use of threats of death sentences as well as threats of being deprived of sleep. The other means of coercing suspects to confess over crimes they have not committed indicated in the article is constantly poking the suspect on the chest and telling him to implicate other suspects so that they can be given fair trials.

From the article it is apparent that there are personnel that specialize in interrogation thereby facilitating suspects’ confession over crimes committed. In the article Robert Glenn is indicated as formidable detective, with a specialty in interrogation. Moreover, it seems there are special facilities used to interrogate suspects for instance Danial Williams describes the interrogation room as a small room with a small table and a small chair where the interrogator sits in front of you a question and asks you questions.

It is also evident that confessions are usually backed-up by evidence from DNA examinations. However, this is not the case as indicated in the article where four suspects’ DNA’s did not match the DNA found at the crime scene.There are usually mistakes made during confessions especially among the detectives charged with the responsibility of interrogating suspects. These mistakes are majorly due to the fact that some detectives may become desperate in their efforts to seek truth from clients thus coercing them to confess even in crimes they have not committed.

In some cases, detectives may extort confessions from suspects even after they have been given DNA proof, as in the case of Glenn Robert.Work CitedBartol, Curt R., and Anne M. Bartol. Current perspectives in forensic psychology and criminal justice. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications, 2006. Print.Hara, Charles E., and Gregory L. Hara. Fundamentals of criminal investigation. 7th ed. Springfield, Ill.: C.C. Thomas, 2003. Print."Introduction." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. .Kaufman, Fred.

The admissibility of confessions. 3d ed. Toronto: Carswell, 1979. Print.Nissman, David M., and Ed Hagen. Law of confessions. Second ed. New York: mcmillan, 2013. Print.