End Police Deception During Interrogations Nationwide

Did you know that when a person is questioned by police, they are legally allowed to lie to you? This practice of deception is legal throughout the U.S., and it is a key contributing factor in wrongful convictions that stem from false confessions. False confessions account for about 30% of all wrongful convictions overturned by DNA and are the most pervasive in wrongful conviction cases involving homicides.

On May 30, 2021, Illinois made history by becoming the first state in the country to pass legislation banning police from lying to juveniles during an interrogation. In Illinois alone, there have been 100 wrongful convictions based on false confessions.

Bills addressing deceptive interrogation tactics and the reliability of confessions have also been introduced in both New York and Oregon. Just this week, Oregon’s full Senate passed a bill to end police deception in interrogations of young people. The bill is now heading to Oregon’s House, while New York’s bill is still pending. There have been 43 known false confession cases in New York, including the Exonerated Five.  

With your help, we can tackle this issue state by state across the nation. Add your name to help us end unjust police tactics.