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More or Less

Is America?s conviction rate really 99.5%?

More or Less

BBC

News Commentary, Science, Mathematics, News

4.63.7K Ratings

🗓️ 5 November 2012

⏱️ 10 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Conrad Black has claimed that 99.5% of prosecution cases in America end up in convictions. Is it really this high? We try to estimate how this compares to the number of convictions in other parts of the world.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Before this BBC podcast kicks off, I'd like to tell you about some others you might enjoy.

0:05.0

My name's Will Wilkin and I Commission Music Podcast for the BBC.

0:08.7

It's a really cool job, but every day we get to tell the incredible stories behind songs, moments and movements.

0:14.8

Stories of struggle and success, rises and falls, the funny, the ridiculous.

0:19.1

And the BBC's position, at the heart of British music

0:21.7

means we can tell those stories like no one else.

0:24.4

We were, are and always will be right there at the centre of the narrative.

0:28.5

So whether you want an insightful take on music right now

0:31.3

or a nostalgic deep dive into some of the most famous and infamous moments in music,

0:36.1

check out the music podcasts on BBC Sounds.

0:39.4

Thank you for downloading from the BBC.

0:42.2

For details of our complete range of podcasts and our terms of use, go to BBCworldservis.com

0:48.3

slash podcasts.

0:52.3

Hello and welcome to more or less, the statistical sleuths on the BBC World Service.

0:57.8

I'm Ruth Alexander, this week.

1:00.0

No, I'm not a criminal.

1:01.5

Do you think a British court would have behaved like this?

1:03.7

Do you think a British court would...

1:05.3

Wait a second.

1:06.6

That's Conrad Black, the former owner of newspapers in the UK, the US, Canada and Israel,

1:12.2

and he's Lord Black of Cross Harbour in the House of Lords in the UK.

1:16.2

In May, he was released from an American jail after serving a 35-month sentence for fraud

...

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