HARTFORD — Law enforcement officials would be prohibited from tricking, misleading or lying to juvenile suspects about criminal evidence, under legislation that won approval Wednesday in the state House of Representatives and next heads to Gov. Ned Lamont for final review.
The bill passed in a relatively narrow 80-70 vote after an hour-long debate, with 16 Democrats joining Republicans. The legislation, which recently passed the Senate along party lines, next heads to the governor for final review. It would ban the use of physical force, false claims about the gathering of evidence, threats of legal penalties for suspects, or promises of leniency for cooperation. Coerced confessions could be ruled inadmissible in court.
State Rep. Steve Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, co-chairman of the law-writing Judiciary Committee, said the legislation was an attempt to protect young suspects from being coerced and bullied into confessions.
"Most times juveniles are not able to comprehend the importance of certain actions," he said. "That's what this bill is about: ensuring the reliability and voluntariness of statements made by persons subject to custodial interrogations. It's not about preventing police from doing their job. It's not about making it harder for police to do their job. What this bill is about is making sure that the right person confesses to the crime."
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