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John,
The standard of police procedurals and the interrogation of a suspect, takes on additional ethical considerations when the subject is a child.
In 45 states, police are legally allowed to lie and coerce subjects during interrogations. For instance, they may mislead isolated individuals, who may or may not have legal representation, to believe that they have evidence they do not have. Only the states of California, Delaware, Illinois, Oregon, and Utah prohibit such deceptive tactics.
Coercive techniques are one of the leading causes of false confessions, and minors are especially susceptible. As the Innocence Project reports, over one-third (34%) of children later exonerated made false confessions. Only 10% of later-exonerated adults did so.
Testifying in support of a similar bill in the Connecticut state legislature, mother of two children Marquita Reale said,
“I am sure that the members of this committee who are parents feel as I do that there is nothing they would not do to protect their children… No one, and especially children, should be imprisoned because the police coerced, manipulated and deceived them into saying something that is not true. When I think about my [15-year-old] son,... I am truly scared that the police would not be looking out for his best interests in any situation.”
Congress must support legislation that bans police from using deceptive, coercive tactics against minors during interrogations now!
These tactics undermine the integrity of our justice system. When deceptive tactics are used against minors, children and parents lose confidence in the system, and animosities build toward law enforcement throughout the community.
Experienced criminals may be the least affected by intimidation and undue influence. Instead it is the most vulnerable in society -- children, LGBTQ+, communities of color, and people with physical or mental disabilities -- who are most harmed by deceptive interrogation tactics.
We need Congress to act to protect young people nationwide. It is time to enact strong, enforceable legislation that will ban deception in the interrogation of minors.
Tell Congress to reject the use of deceptive and manipulative tactics used in the interrogation of minors now.
Thank you for helping to build a more just system of justice.
- Amanda
Amanda Ford, Director
Democracy for America
Advocacy Fund
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