It’s OK to Be Wrong

An interview with Innocence Project Co-Director Peter Neufeld today at Slate.com explores the causes of wrongful convictions and the reluctance of some police and prosecutors to admit errors. Neufeld tells interviewer Kathryn Schulz:

If a prosecutor or a detective is totally unable to admit they’re wrong in one case, what that tells you is that they will be making dozens and dozens more erroneous decisions, because they’re not allowing new information to affect their views…. I think generally speaking it’s difficult for people to admit they’re wrong, and the higher the stakes, the more difficult it becomes. So what you really want to do is educate people that it’s OK to be wrong. It doesn’t mean you’re a fool. It’s not going to be the end of your life.

Read the full Q&A here

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