Criminal Law – Crime & Confessions

6 April 2020

As a law tutor, you must paint the picture of real practice to your students, as a measure of bringing out the best in them when they qualify as professionals.

One of the most critical aspects of criminal law is getting a confession from your client, and knowing how to handle the confession to the best of the client. To law tutors, London, confessions form the basis of their studies in criminal law, and imparting this knowledge to their students is of the essence.

What is a confession?

In simpler terms, a confession refers to a statement submitted by the accused admitting their guilt in regards to a particular offense.

Understanding the facts about the chronology of events about a crime your client is associated with is vital in preparing a defense.

Types of confessions

Confessions are divided into four as stated below; 

• Judicial confession- this involves a confession made by the accused before a judge or magistrate when the hearing of their case is ongoing and can be used as evidence
• Extra-judicial confession- is a confession made before the judge or magistrate during the judicial proceeding, with no record of such confession existing in police records or investigation forms
• Retracted confession- this type involves when an accused denies a confession previously made in police records or investigation as recorded originally. Such confessions can be used when making a conviction or not, depending on the arguments before the court
• Confession by co-accused- this involves a confession made by a person jointly accused with the original client that as a lawyer, you are representing. Information contained in such confessions can be used for or against your client

Conclusion

Law tutors should be upfront in ensuring that their students are equipped with vital knowledge and information regarding their area of practice. Confessions from clients can be put to greater use in the defense of the accused.