What is a Coerced Confession?

It is always advisable for suspected criminal offenders to contact a criminal defense attorney in Denver, CO, as soon as possible. One way a felony defense attorney can protect a defendant’s legal rights is by eliminating the possibility of a coerced confession. Confessions can play an integral role in the outcome of a criminal case. However, if a suspect is somehow forced or coerced into giving a confession, the criminal defense attorney may be able to have the confession declared inadmissible as evidence.

The Fifth Amendment protects individuals against compulsory self-incrimination and coerced confessions fall into this category. To determine whether a confession was coerced, a felony attorney will consider whether the arresting officers or other governmental parties threatened the defendant, made promises in exchange for the confession, or engaged in acts that overpowered the defendant’s free will and produced an involuntary confession. It should be noted that a defendant’s confession is not coerced simply on the basis of the misrepresentation by the police regarding the weight of the evidence.