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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
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    Default Conviction on the basis of a confession alone

    Is it possible for someone to be convicted of petit larceny based upon they're confession alone?...meaning that there were no witnesses or any evidence proving that the person commited the act. The only "evidence" is their confession, this is in New York State.

  2. #2
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    Jul 2006
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    Default Re: Confession alone

    Quote Quoting mahumbam
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    Is it possible for someone to be convicted of petit larceny based upon they're confession alone?...meaning that there were no witnesses or any evidence proving that the person commited the act. The only "evidence" is their confession, this is in New York State.

    Of course that's possible.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Confession alone

    The traditional rule, which I understand New York still follows, is that you can't be convicted on the basis of an uncorroborated confession. (The largest exception to this is for confessions made in court, where the oath is sufficiently corroborative.) The requirement of corroboration can be pretty light - for example, evidence that the defendant was in the vicinity of the criminal act at the time it occurred may be sufficient to corroborate the defendant's confession.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
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    8

    Default Re: Conviction on the basis of a confession alone

    Thanks aaron that helps alot, I heard my friend say there were laws stating that a person cannot incriminate themselves if they confess to a crime. But like you said, if the person commiting the crime was in the area, that alone could confirm that their confession could be accurate.

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