Rep. Barbara Hernandez Pushes for Juvenile Justice Reform

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Juveniles being interrogated by Illinois law enforcement will no longer have to deal with any deceptive practices, such as lying about evidence, thanks to a new law backed by state Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora.

“While I support our law enforcement community and don’t want to restrict them unnecessarily, the people entrusted with protecting our communities should not be lying to children in order to coerce a confession,” Hernandez said. “Deceptive tactics can be a brutally effective approach to squeezing a confession out of a juvenile suspect, regardless of their innocence or guilt. It’s time for that behavior to stop.”

Senate Bill 2122 bans police from lying about evidence or engaging in deceptive activity while interrogating juvenile suspects. This law is part of a significant push from the state legislature to reform criminal justice in Illinois. The legislation passed the legislature almost unanimously and was recently signed into law by the governor.

“The last several months have brought major reforms to law enforcement in Illinois,” Hernandez said. “Banning cash bail and certain excessive restraint methods, such as chokeholds, are just a few other steps we have taken to improve the criminal justice process. I’m happy that getting rid of unfair interrogations of young Illinoisans is another change we can add to that list.”