Law enforcement testimony regarding confessions and other inculpatory statements are extraordinarily persuasive to juries during criminal trials and false confessions have resulted in an untold number of wrongful convictions. A videotape recording from start to finish of an arrest interrogation and subsequent confession provides the most objective means for evaluating what occurred during an interrogation, what the suspect and law enforcement agents said and did, any alleged waiver of the suspect’s rights to remain silent, the presence of an attorney, and the accuracy of any statement. For this reason, NACDL supports the videotaping of all law enforcement interrogations from beginning to end and calls upon state legislatures to pass legislation mandating this practice.
Links to resources on interrogation recordings and possible reform are available below:
Jurisdictions Requiring Electronic Recording of Interrogations
Uniform Law Commission (ULC) Model Legislation