Police barred from lying to minors

Illinois is now the first state to bar police officers from lying and using other deceptive tactics when interrogating juveniles.

The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Robert Peters and state Rep. Justin Slaughter, both Democrats, was signed into law last week by Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker. It takes effect Jan. 1.

The new law targets commonly used deceptive interrogation tactics, such as making false promises of leniency and false claims about the existence of incriminating evidence. False confessions have played a role in about 30% of all wrongful convictions overturned by DNA evidence, according to the Innocence Project. Researchers found in recent studies that people younger than 18 are two to three times more likely to falsely confess than adults.

Pritzker also signed three other bills, which his office said were intended to collectively advance the rights of the most vulnerable people in Illinois’ justice system. The bills included measures to encourage restorative justice practices, ease reducing sentences after convictions and address mass incarceration.

“An essential tenet of good governance is recognizing the need to change the laws that have failed the people they serve,” Pritzker said in statement. “Together, these initiatives move us closer to a holistic criminal justice system, one that builds confidence and trust in a system that has done harm to too many people for far too long.”

“This law is a breakthrough in safeguarding against the wrongful convictions of young people,” said Rebecca Brown, director of policy at the Innocence Project.