New York Chief Judge Backs Videotaped Interrogations, Special Youth Courts
The chief judge of New York’s top court backed videotaped interrogations of criminal suspects in his State of the Judiciary address on Tuesday.
Judge Jonathan Lippman said videotaping would help curtail coerced confessions and violations of suspects’ rights, the New York Times reports.
Lippman also endorsed creation of a new youth court that would treat 16- and 17-year-olds as juveniles if they are charged with nonviolent crimes. Convicted teens would avoid detention and would have their records sealed, report the Albany Times Union and the New York Daily News.
“The present, punitive approach turns children into hardened criminals and must be changed if we are to ensure a meaningful future for kids who find themselves in the throes of the justice system,” he said.
