Indianapolis, Indiana – Republicans and Democrats in Indiana unanimously approved a new bill that forbids police from using child interrogation to extract confessions.
After passing through the House and Senate, Senate Bill 415 was finally approved by the Indiana Senate on Monday with a 48-0 vote. As of right now, the bill will be delivered to Governor Eric Holcomb’s desk, where it will wait to become law.
According to the new law, any statement made by a minor during a police interrogation that was made after the minor was knowingly lied to by a police officer would not be accepted in court if the minor was under the age of 18.
If the officer had a good faith belief that the information was accurate at the time it was given to the juvenile, they would be excluded from the law.
“Protecting our children includes protecting them in interactions with law enforcement,” said Senator Rodney Pol (D-Chesterton), who authored the bill.
“The Corrections Committee heard expert testimony that explained how children can be easily influenced in these settings, especially when provided with false information. While I don’t believe that law enforcement frequently engages in providing false information to children, any time it does happen is harmful to children, their future, their family, and the justice system.”
The law has been changed to mandate that police officers make a sincere effort to get in touch with the parents of a kid who has been detained or arrested.
