In September, the Juvenile Custodial Interrogations Reform bill, which prohibits law enforcement from using physically and psychologically harmful interrogation techniques on youth suspects, was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. Supported by Santa Clara Law’s Northern California Innocence Project (NCIP), AB 2644 aims to prevent young suspects from falsely implicating themselves or others as a result of deceptive interrogation practices.
The bill makes California the fourth state in the nation to pass legislation banning deceptive interrogation tactics, alongside Illinois, Oregon, and Utah. False confessions account for a quarter of wrongful convictions later overturned because of advancements in DNA technology, and are disproportionately attributed to individuals under the age of 25, as well as people of color.
“AB 2644 is a giant step toward reducing the risk of false confessions while ensuring law enforcement is still able to carry on their investigations to solve crimes,” said Melissa O’Connell, staff attorney and policy liaison with the Northern California Innocence Project. “Our hope is that the impetus for this legislation carries forward to reduce the use of deceptive tactics in all law enforcement interrogations, regardless of the interrogees’ age.”
