82K views · Jan 28, 2020 · 11:10 · 3 HN recommenders · 4 mentions · discussed 2020
Yuta explains what Japan's 99% conviction rate actually means, noting that prosecutors drop cases unless confidence is very high. He argues that the number is widely misunderstood and cites his sources.
Why Hacker News points people here: Recommended as a sourced, nuanced corrective whenever the Japanese justice system's conviction rate is raised.
“I've seen this Japanese person explaining the situation informally but thoroughly.”HN comment, 2020
“I've seen this Japanese person explaining the situation informally but thoroughly.”
Thorough explanation of 99% conviction rate context
I'm not Japanese, but I've seen this Japanese person explaining the situation informally but thoroughly. this video The premise is, yes 99% percent is a measured rate but also has no utility in a discussion if the other parts of the big picture is ignored.
“Here is a video, with references, from a relatively trustworthy source”
Referenced explanation of the 99% conviction figure
This 99% number does not mean what people think it means. The Japanese prosecution system is a pipeline that strongly filters out unlikely-to-be-convicted cases from the very beginning. Long before you are convicted, you might not even be arrested, or your case gets dismissed earlier in the pipeline. Here is a video, with references, from a relatively trustworthy source: this video
“You might want to hear what Yuta has to say about this[1].”
Nuanced view of Japanese justice system
You might want to hear what Yuta has to say about this[1]. It's not as black and white, basically. 1: this video
“The high conviction rate seems to be because cases are dropped unless the prosecution's confidence is very high”
Explains the high conviction rate
The high conviction rate seems to be because cases are dropped unless the prosecution's confidence is very high, rather than letting it go to trial. this video
