The empirical research on false confessions, much of it focused on juveniles, has moved from the academy into the statute books. The clearest signal is the wave of state laws restricting deceptive interrogation of minors.
How to read this tracker. Entries reflect publicly reported state legislation as of June 2026 and are provided for general information, not legal advice. Statutes are amended and new bills advance continually; confirm the current text and status of any provision against the official state code before relying on it. Bill numbers link to legislative or court sources where available.
Enacted
| State | Law | Year | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | SB 2122 | 2021 | The first state to act. Makes a minor's confession presumptively inadmissible if it was procured through the knowing use of deception during a custodial interrogation. |
| Oregon | SB 418 | 2021 | Prohibits deceptive interrogation tactics with minors, including false promises of leniency and false claims about the existence of evidence. |
| California | AB 2644 | 2022 | Restricts the use of deceptive, coercive, and manipulative interrogation tactics with youth. Signed September 2022. |
| Utah | HB 171 | 2022 | Bars a peace officer from engaging in deception during the custodial interrogation of a child. |
| Delaware | HB 419 | 2022 | Prohibits stating that evidence exists when it does not, or promising leniency, during custodial interrogations of persons under 18; resulting statements are inadmissible. Signed October 10, 2022. |
| Indiana | SB 415 | 2023 | Prohibits law enforcement from knowingly using deception when interrogating a juvenile. Signed May 2023. |
| Nevada | AB 193 | 2023 | Codified at NRS 62C.014. Limits deception in the custodial interrogation of a child, including materially false statements about evidence and unauthorized promises of leniency. Effective July 1, 2024. |
Pending or proposed
| State | Bill | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | S1860 / S324 | Pending | Would extend protections against police deception to youth in both criminal court and Family Court; related proposals would reach adult interrogations. Has not been enacted, historically opposed by the NYPD. |
| Connecticut | SB 306 | Proposed | An act concerning deceptive interrogation tactics; introduced, not enacted. |
| Colorado | (multiple) | Contested | Legislation restricting deceptive juvenile interrogation has been introduced across recent sessions; a 2022 measure died late in the session. |
Other states have introduced or studied similar measures, and a parallel reform requiring counsel for minors before custodial questioning exists in jurisdictions such as Maryland and Washington. Reporting on the precise national count varies by source and date; the entries above are the ones that can be cited to a specific bill.
Why it matters for investigators
These statutes target the exact tactics that the empirical research on accusatorial interrogation has flagged: false statements about evidence, false promises of leniency, and the coercive pressure that the false-confession literature associates with elevated risk, particularly for juveniles and other vulnerable subjects. The legal ground is moving toward the evidence-based, rapport-based approach that the FBI HIG research and the UN Méndez Principles describe.
For agencies, the practical takeaway is simple: a confession obtained through tactics a statute now restricts is a confession a court can exclude. ASC's From Information to Evidence course and the evidence-based alternative it teaches are built for the standard these laws are codifying.
Sources
- Illinois SB 2122: NBC Chicago; Capitol News Illinois.
- Oregon SB 418: Criminal Legal News.
- California AB 2644: California Legislature (bill text); Northern California Innocence Project.
- Utah HB 171: Utah Legislature (bill text).
- Delaware HB 419: Delaware General Assembly; Delaware House Democrats.
- Indiana SB 415: Criminal Legal News; Innocence Project.
- Nevada AB 193 (NRS 62C.014): Nevada Revised Statutes 62C.014 (Justia).
- New York S1860: New York State Senate.
- Connecticut SB 306: ACLU of Connecticut.
- Background: Innocence Project, "Five Facts About Police Deception and Youth".