plea bargains

It is hardly a state secret that prosecutors routinely level unreasonable charges against defendants in the hope that it will scare them into accepting a plea bargain. The plan is to scare the defendant so much that they would rather admit to something they didn't do than to go to court and risk a harsh sentence. Most of the people put in prison are poor and undereducated, so it is relatively easy to deceive them into believing that the prosecutor has evidence that will convince a jury, and many accept, say, a two year sentence rather than risk life in prison. Even if they believe there is no reasonable evidence against them, they may fear that irrational and hateful jurors will have faith in the police and prosecutors and convict them in spite of the evidence.

Of course, this works great for prosecutors and police. An unsolved crime? Put some guy no one cares about in prison, say the case was solved, and get a promotion.

It has happened time and again, and continues to happen. It is hardly a secret - the public just doesn't want to know what's going on.

At present, something like 97% of convictions are plea bargains.