retracted confession A retracted confession, if voluntarily made, can be acted upon along with other evidence. There is no rule of law that requires its corroboration by independent evidence in material particulars. But the use to be made of such a confession is a matter of prudence rather than of law. The retraction of a confession does not cancel the confession, but it puts the court on inquiry as to its value, its voluntary character and the probability of its being true. The rules on the point are (a) a confession is not involuntary since it is retracted; (b) the retracted confession may form the basis of conviction of its maker if it is true and voluntarily made; and (c) its use against the co-accused needs independent corroboration.