Illinois becomes first state to ban police from lying to minors

Illinois has become the first state to ban police from lying to minors. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a bill Thursday "which prohibits the use of deceptive tactics by all law enforcement when interrogating a minor."

The bill, sponsored by state Senator Robert Peters and Representative Justin Slaughter, will take effect on January 1, 2022, according to a news release. National law enforcement organizations and training agencies argue that deceptive interrogation techniques increase the likelihood of a minor making a false confession, and have advocated against these practices.  The use of deceptive tactics was deemed permissible by the courts in 1969, but members of the Illinois judicial system have since condemned the use the practices when interrogating minors, because of the risk it poses in producing false confessions, according to the release.