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Please do not confuse the word "proof" with the word "evidence". Cohen's guilty plea is evidence that Cohen committed crimes. An independent finding of guilt by a jury (better, multiple juries) of fellow citizens usually represents a higher evidentiary standard than a guilty plea under the cloud of a potential cooperation agreement.
I'll entertain continuing with you if you can cite some statistics or facts to back that up and show it is not just some bullshit thing you made up.
There is no reason I can see to say that someone denying their guilt in a trial and as they go to jail is more likely to be IN FACT guilty than someone who admits their crimes. Quite the opposite and as you cited above we have enough examples of CONVICTED people being vindicated later to suggest otherwise.
I appreciate your skepticism, though I think you could tone down the vitriol a bit.
Of course, there are no statistics that can prove your or my view on this matter. It is my perception, however, that 100% of those experienced in criminal law agree with me on this issue. For example, please consider these relevant excerpts from a famous Washington University Law Review Article, The Trial Judge's Satisfaction as to the Factual Basis of Guilty Pleas. I have underlined for you the particularly relevant sentences.
An estimated ninety per cent of criminal convictions in state and federal courts are based on guilty pleas. This single fact demonstrates the dominant role of the guilty plea process in the administration of criminal justice and emphasizes the importance of insuring the accuracy of such pleas. Defendants who plead not guilty and stand trial are protected by a multitude of safeguards designed to avoid conviction of the innocent. Modem procedures for accepting guilty pleas should also be designed to prevent
the conviction of innocent defendants; however, the guilty plea process is characterized by less elaborate procedures which often ignore the issue of guilt or innocence.
...
One method of preventing false pleas is judicial inquiry into the facts supporting the charge. Professor Newman, in his definitive study of adjudication by plea of guilty, has observed that some trial judges do make a factual inquiry before finally accepting guilty pleas, although those who do so appear to be in the minority. Some procedures aimed primarily at accomplishing other goals indirectly result in such examinations; for example, a presentence investigation may turn up facts which cast doubt on the defendant's guilt. However, with few exceptions, judges at most need inquire only into the voluntariness of guilty pleas and assure themselves that the pleas were made with understanding of the possible consequences."
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/c...tpsredir=1&article=3094&context=law_lawreview
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