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Legal Updates
Indiana Supreme Court finds that assistant principal questioning a student about criminal mischief was not acting as an agent of the police
Nov 27, 2018
In D.Z. v. State (June 2018) the Supreme Court of Indiana found that in a criminal mischief and harassment case when the assistant high school principal questioned the juvenile suspect (student)...
Legal Updates Fall 2018
Nov 20, 2018
The Legal Updates Fall 2018 column contains cases which address the following issues:
Confession was suppressed when request to stop answering questions was ignored (value of the video in supporting defendant�s...
Legal Updates Summer 2018
Aug 16, 2018
The Legal Updates Summer 2018 column contains cases which address the following issues
Interrogation 5 hours after initial advisement of rights was �reasonably contemporaneous� with the initial waiverValue...
Legal Updates Spring 2018
Jun 01, 2018
The Legal Updates Spring 2018 column contains cases which address the following issues:
Court finds Dr. Richard Leo's testimony of false confessions to be unreliableCourt rejects the testimony...Legal Updates Winter 2018
Apr 06, 2018
The Legal Updates Winter 2018 column contains cases which address the following issues:
Federal Appeals Court upholds confession of "Making a Murderer" subject Brendan Dassey
Dec 18, 2017
In Dassey v. Dittmann (December 2017) the U.S.Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, upheld the admissibility of Brendan Dassey's confession, ruling that the state court's determination that defendant confessed to murder voluntarily...
Massachusetts Supreme Court confirms that minimization/maximization techniques are acceptable
Nov 08, 2017
In the case of Commonwealth v. Cartwright (Novemebr 2017) the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts stated that "... we have not acted to prevent police investigators from suggesting to a suspect being...
Legal Updates Fall 2017
Nov 03, 2017
The Legal Updates Fall 2017 column contains cases which address the following issues:
The Legal Updates Summer 2017
Aug 31, 2017
The Legal Updates Summer 2017 column contains cases which address the following issues:
Objectionable interrogator tacticsCourt allows testimony of false confession expert Dr. Richard LeoCourt limits the rebuttal testimony on false confession...Legal Updates Spring 2017
Jun 01, 2017
The Legal Updates Spring 2017 column contains cases which address the following issues:
Promise suspect would not be put on the sex offenders' list rendered his confession involuntaryThe...
Legal Updates Winter 2017
Mar 01, 2017
The Legal Updates Winter 2017 column contains cases which address the following issues:
Defendant claims his confession was involuntary because �his restrictive childhood conditioned him to acquiesce to...
States that require electronic recording of interrogations
Jan 16, 2017
Attorney Thomas Sullivan has done extensive work on promoting the value of electronically recording interrogations and he has extensively surveyed police departments around the country to determine the extent of recording interrogations...
Recording Juvenile Interrogations in Illinois
Jan 16, 2017
Click below for a copy of the legislation that modifies The Juvenile Court Act of 1987, expanding the requirement to electronically record juvenile interrogations in Illinois.
Also, here is a link to...Legal Updates Fall 2016
Nov 01, 2016
Confession suppressed - made under the influence of fear produced by threatsThe suspect does not have to know all of the possible issues they will be questioned about to make a knowing...
The confession of Brendan Dassey (ìMaking a Murdererî) ruled to be involuntary
Aug 15, 2016
In Dassey v. Dittmann (August 2016) the US District Court, E.D. Wisconsin, ruled that Brendan Dassey’s confession was involuntary. Brendan Dassey’s confession to involvement in the murder of Teresa...
Legal Updates Summer 2016
Jul 30, 2016
The Legal Updates Summer 2016 column contains cases which address the following issues:In New York no adverse instruction required if police do not electronically record the interrogationThe value of videotaping: determining the...
Military court decisions re interrogation issues
Jul 11, 2016
Military court decisions re interrogation issues Over the years we have posted on our website numerous military court decisions that dealt with a variety of interrogation issues. For example:
Legal Updates Spring 2016
Apr 30, 2016
Legal Updates Spring 2016 The Legal Updates Spring 2016 column contains cases which address the following issues:Detective erroneously associates “sleep deprivation” with the Reid TechniquePlaintiff claims Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism...
The Legal Updates Winter 2016
Mar 29, 2016
The Legal Updates Winter 2016 column contains cases which address the following issues:California Supreme Court upholds rejection of Dr. Richard Leo testimonyThe value of videotaping the interrogation in disputing intoxication claimConfession voluntariness...
The Legal Updates Fall 2015
Jan 16, 2016
The Legal Updates Fall 2015 column contains cases which address the following issues:What constitutes an intellectual disability? What is mental retardation?Is it coercive to tell a subject that it was important for...