Illinois 1st to ban lying to juveniles in interrogations

The law will take effect on Jan. 1

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday signed the nation’s first law prohibiting police from lying to juveniles during criminal interrogations. 

CHICAGO, IL – APRIL 3: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot stands by as Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during a press conference in Hall C Unit 1 of the COVID-19 alternate site at McCormick Place on Friday, April 3, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. Gov. Pritzker And Mayor Lightfoot toured what will be a 3,000-bed medical facility to treat less seriously-ill COVID-19 patients built in a collaborative effort involving the Illinois National Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and trade unions. (Photo by Chris Sweda-Pool via Getty Images)

The measure, which is intended to reduce false confessions by young people, was one of four pieces of legislation the Democrat signed, he said, to “change the laws that have failed the people they serve.”

Chicago Democrats Sen. Robert Peters and Rep. Justin Slaughter sponsored the juvenile bill. It bans detectives from using deceptive practices when questioning minors in criminal investigations. Experts say young people are far more likely than adults to offer false confessions. 

It takes effect Jan. 1, along with another plan allowing a county prosecutor to seek re-sentencing for an offender if the original sentence “no longer advances the interests of justice.”

Having an immediate effect is a law requiring a study of ways to reduce the state’s prison population through similar re-sentencing action and a law that allows offenders to participate in so-called restorative justice programs, in which offenders reconcile with victims. It encourages participation by precluding offenders’ statements from being used against them in future proceedings. 

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