Bill > H5922

This bill prohibits peace officers, including school resource officers (SROs), from using certain interrogation tactics when questioning juveniles in custody. Specifically, the bill bans threats, physical harm, deprivation, deception, coercion, and psychologically manipulative techniques during custodial interrogations. These prohibited tactics include intimidating or scaring the juvenile, exaggerating evidence, making false promises of leniency, presenting misleading choices, using undue pressure, or threatening the arrest of others. If an officer uses any of these tactics, any statements obtained would be considered tainted and presumptively inadmissible in criminal or juvenile court proceedings. The bill provides detailed definitions of each prohibited tactic, such as defining "deception" as communicating false facts about evidence or misrepresenting the accuracy of information. The state would bear the burden of proving that any juvenile statement was given voluntarily and without using these prohibited tactics. The bill is set to take effect on January 1, 2026, and aims to protect juveniles from potentially coercive or manipulative interrogation practices that could lead to unreliable statements or confessions.

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