Advocacy,Orthodoxy,and the Intolerance of Dissent: A Rebuttal to Sorochinski's Critique of “Rethinking the False Confession Phenomenon”

Abstract

This rebuttal to Marina Sorochinski's work, “Beyond the Badge: A Critical Commentary on B. Beyer's ‘Rethinking the False Confession Phenomenon,’” identifies and analyzes Sorochinski's pervasive pattern of misinterpretation, mischaracterization, and outright fabrication of points made in “Rethinking the False Confession Phenomenon: A Law Enforcement Perspective.” Sorochinski's hyperemotional response to this work, her unwillingness to consider alternative points of view on the false confession issue, her dismissal of practitioner insights, and her reliance on the unanimity of thought in the existing false confession literature are highlighted and discussed. Through an analysis of the existing false confession literature and the inaccurately reported positions of “Rethinking the False Confession Phenomenon,” an argument is outlined for why the false confession research and related conclusions should be questioned, the statistics surrounding the false confession phenomenon should be more closely analyzed, the underlying biases present within the innocence movement should be considered, and alternative positions should not be so easily and reflexively dismissed. This rebuttal helps to elucidate not only the emotional advocacy that undergirds Sorochinski's critique, put the potential problems that may arise if this same emotional advocacy is shared by other false confession researchers.