FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ill. (WSIL) The Illinois Criminal Justice Reform Bill was signed into law earlier this year, but faced strong opposition from law enforcement agencies who argued the language created hurdles in effective policing practices.
The General Assembly passed a new bill during the Spring Session in hopes to address some of those concerns, with support from both law enforcement agencies and legislatures who say more work is still to come.
The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police opposed the original Criminal Justice Reform Bill as it was written, but now say they are encouraged by the law’s sponsors in negotiating the much needed changes.
UpdatedThu, Jun 3, 2021 at 9:53 am CT
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The inside of a jail cell. (Maya Kaufman/Patch)
ILLINOIS The state is on track to become the first in the nation to stop police from using lying as a tactic to interrogate minors. The bill, which is awaiting approval on Gov. J.B. Pritzker s desk, states that using deceptive measures in interrogations often illicits false confessions.
While police are allowed to knowingly state false facts about evidence and make unsubstantiated promises about deals when interrogating someone under 18, this bill would be the first of its kind to throw out any confession in which a police officer knowingly engages in deception with a minor.
A bill that passed the General Assembly with bipartisan support on Sunday would make Illinois the first state to prohibit officers from lying when interrogating those under 18.