Children should have support, care, and compassion, especially when they are in vulnerable situations. But right now, police are allowed to lie to children during interrogations, putting vulnerable youth at risk. Because of systemic racism, Black and Latinx youth are most harmed by police lying during interrogations, known as "deceptive police interrogation tactics." In March 2023, ACLU of Connecticut Smart Justice leader Marquita Reale testified in support of S.B. 1071, a bill that would ban police from using deceptive interrogation tactics against children, during the bill's public hearing in the Judiciary Committee. The following is her testimony:
Senator Winfield, Representative Stafstrom, Ranking Members Senator Kissel and Representative Fishbein, and distinguished members of the Judiciary Committee:
My name is Marquita Reale, I am a resident of Hartford and a Leader with the ACLU of Connecticut Smart Justice Campaign. I am here to testify in support of Senate Bill 1071, An Act Concerning Deceptive or Coercive Interrogation Tactics.
I am also a mother and have two children. My daughter is 4 years-old and my son is 13 years-old. I am sure that the members of this committee who are parents feel as I do that there is nothing they would not do to protect their children. Children should be safe and protected everywhere, especially when they are at their most vulnerable. The past three years have been especially difficult as they dealt with the pandemic, being isolated at home, and not being in school or able to see their friends. On top of that, I have been going through custody issues with my children’s father, and unfortunately on a couple of occasions this has involved the police. About a year ago I called the police after picking up my daughter from her father’s place. We had gotten into an argument and I had called the police to report it. When the police arrived and I talked to an officer, he promised that he would help me and to tell him everything that had happened. He told me multiple times that he would help me out, and eventually reached out to a police department in the town where my children’s father lived. He said he would stay with me until they came to talk with me. When the police showed up, they immediately arrested me and charged me with violating a protective order. I had no idea that there was a protective order in place, and there was no indication from the police officer I was talking with that I would be arrested. Like I said, he repeatedly told me he was going to help me. I ended up spending three days in jail because I could not afford my bond, was separated from my children, couldn’t communicate with my friends, and basically had my life turned upside down. The point that I want to leave with this Committee is that I was clearly deceived and manipulated by the police. I believe they lied to me. They did not want to help me, they only wanted to arrest me. They did not care about what I was going through, that I was a mother trying to be with her children, that I needed empathy, understanding and real help, but instead I ended up in jail.
No one, and especially children, should be imprisoned because the police coerced, manipulated and deceived them into saying something that is not true. When I think about my son, who like I said is 15-years-old, I pray that he never has to interact with the police. I am truly scared that the police would not be looking out for his best interests in any situation, and that is not how it should be.
I was shocked to learn that under Connecticut law it is completely legal for police to lie to people during an interrogation, when they are in custody, including to threaten a use of force and deny the physical and mental health needs of people in order for the police to obtain a confession. It does not surprise me that these techniques would result in false confessions, and 29 percent of Connecticut’s wrong convictions involved false confessions. Deceptive interrogation tactics ultimately harm the people whom our state has made the most vulnerable: our hildren, people of color and people with mental or physical disabilities.
I urge this committee to pass Senate Bill 1071 to prevent further deceptive interrogations by police on children, interrogation tactcis that have harmed children and cost our state millions of dollars. Thank you for listening to my testimony today.
