Confession: A Jewish Practice?!?

(13) One who covers up faults will not succeed;
One who confesses and gives them up will find mercy.

(1) If a person transgresses any of the mitzvot of the Torah, whether a positive command or a negative command - whether willingly or inadvertently - when he repents, and returns from his sin, he must confess before God, blessed be He, as [Numbers 5:6-7] states: "If a man or a woman commit any of the sins of man... they must confess the sin that they committed."
This refers to a verbal confession. This confession is a positive command.
.... Whoever confesses profusely and elaborates on these matters is worthy of praise.
...sacrifices will not atone for their sins until they repent and make a verbal confession as [Leviticus 5:5] states: "He shall confess the sin he has committed upon it."
... Similarly, someone who injures a colleague or damages his property, does not attain atonement, even though he pays him what he owes until he confesses and makes a commitment never to do such a thing again ...

(1) The commandment of confession of sin:

(3) It is from the roots of this commandment [that it is] because through the verbal admission of iniquity, the sinner reveals his thoughts and opinion: that he truly believes that all his deeds are revealed and known before God, blessed be He, and that he will not act as if 'the Eye that sees' does not see. Furthermore, through mentioning the sin specifically, and through his remorse about it, he will be more careful about it on another occasion not to stumble in the same way again. Since he declares verbally, "I did such-and-such, and I stumbled in my deeds," he will have created a fence so he will not repeat what he did.