Tell Governor Scott: Sign S.6 Into Law

Act Now

The ACLU of Vermont is committed to ending police violence and increasing transparency and accountability of law enforcement. We support S.6 as a measure to limit coercive police interrogations of youth in Vermont and prevent false confessions.

Under current Vermont law, police are permitted to use coercive and deceptive tactics when interviewing and questioning a person in connection with a criminal investigation, regardless of their age. These interrogation tactics can and do result in people falsely confessing to offenses they did not commit. Youth are especially susceptible to deceptive tactics because the part of the brain that controls future planning, judgment, and decision-making is not fully formed until one's mid-twenties.

Deceptive interrogation practices do not only negatively affect youth. They also harm some of our state's most vulnerable populations. Data consistently shows that BIPOC are overrepresented in the criminal legal system, including in exoneration databases and in instances of false confessions. Experts have found that people living with mental and physical disabilities are at particular risk for exploitation and manipulation during interrogations. These tactics also harm victims, as false confessions often result in an innocent person being convicted of a crime, while the actual perpetrator faces no accountability.

For all of these reasons, we are proud to support S.6, an act related to prohibiting deceptive and coercive interrogation methods for people under the age of 22. This bill was approved by the House and Senate, and now will go to Governor Scott to be signed into law. As a constituent, it is critical that you make your voice heard in support of this important legislation today.

Message Recipients:
Governor Phil Scott

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Subject

I am writing you today to ask you to sign S.6 into law. This bill will prohibit the use of deceptive and coercive interrogation techniques on Vermont youth. These interrogation tactics can and do result in people falsely confessing to an offense they did not commit. These tactics also harm victims, as false confessions often result in an innocent person being convicted of a crime, while the actual perpetrator faces no accountability.

Message Body

I urge you to sign S.6 into law so that no young people in Vermont fall victim to unjust interrogation practices, and to put into motion the development of a model policy for engaging in more humane and effective methods of interrogation for people of all ages.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]

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Tell Governor Scott: Sign S.6 Into Law

Act Now

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