Recording Interrogation Sessions

For the longest time, electronically recording interrogations has not been used for the better. Many audio and video recordings have only captured the final moments wherein the suspect is finally confessing. Without the entire document, it is difficult to judge if it is authentic or a product of coercion. You should seek a competitive Las Vegas defense laywer to help you know the importance of electronically recording interrogations and why an amendment is truly vital.

False confessions

There are many wrong convictions made because of false confessions which often happen when an interrogation is not monitored properly. When the whole interrogation is recorded, right from the reading of the Miranda rights to the supposed confession, the conducting police will be more lenient. As it is chronicled, any unlawful acts of force shall be exposed.

When interrogations are recorded, the police can evaluate the statements better, rewind and repeat whenever they please, and easily disprove false accusations of misconduct or sudden change of suspect testament.

The damage it causes

Every year, many are wrongfully convicted due to false confessions deriving from interrogations that were not properly recorded. Back in 1989, five male juveniles were arrested for rape and attempted murder of a female jogger named Trisha Meili. Despite revealing that they were coerced and threatened to confess, the City of New York still charged them. After 13 years, a man named Matias Reyes came forward and admitted to the crime. He was proven guilty through DNA testing.

The reform needed

While electronically recording interrogations is a common practice these days, there are still some overhaul needed as some still employ the “record only the confession” rule, and the cases covered by recording are still very limited.

Last year, the state of Nevada juggled with the idea of Assembly Bill 414 which requires interrogations to be recorded entirely. However, the bill is still being challenged and the community can only hope that recording interrogations will be done effectively and correctly in the future.