Help Protect the Innocent in New Hampshire

In New Hampshire, law enforcement interrogations are not required by law to be recorded, leaving innocent people more vulnerable to wrongful convictions based on unreliable false confessions. 

Nationally, more than a quarter of the wrongful convictions overturned by DNA evidence involved some form of a coerced false confession. While it can be difficult to understand why a person would wrongly confess to a crime they did not commit, research shows that an innocent person is at risk for falsely confessing due to coercive interrogation techniques, compromised reasoning ability due to stress or exhaustion, or increased suggestibility based on age or developmental disabilities.

Recording interrogations provides a safeguard against wrongful convictions by creating a transparent, accurate record of what happened during an interrogation. Recording can also ensure that the constitutional rights are protected in the interrogation and deter against any improper techniques that might coerce false confessions. Today, 31 states and the District of Columbia require the electronic recording of interrogations.

This week, New Hampshire’s lawmakers are considering House Bill 1236, which would require law enforcement to record interrogations. Join us in contacting the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee and urging them to pass HB 1236 to prevent wrongful convictions.

This campaign is in partnership with the New England Innocence Project.