Members of Central Park 5 advocating for law limiting deceptive interrogation tactics and other sweeping criminal justice reforms
Originally published in
NY Daily News
Three members of the Central Park Five wrongly convicted of the rape of a jogger when they were teens are working with advocates and lawmakers to push for far-reaching criminal justice reforms that could have prevented their own incarceration.
Kevin Richardson, Korey Wise and Yusef Salaam, hoping to save others from suffering the same fate, are joining forces with the Innocence Project and others to push for measures outlawing the use of deceptive interview tactics to induce confessions, provide counsel to young people being interrogated and make compensation available to the wrongfully convicted.
A proposal by state Sen. Zellnor Myrie would bar police from using deception in the interrogation room and ensure courts consider the reliability of a confession before it is admitted as evidence. There is currently nothing stopping a cop from lying when interrogating suspects or using tactics such as expressing sympathy or presenting false evidence.