On April 1, 2018, the state of New York announced that a law that was drafted during the 2017 criminal reform initiative has finally gone into effect. The new legislation requires law enforcement agencies throughout the state to make sure all custodial interrogations for serious crimes are recorded on video. The crimes that this new legislation applies to can include violent felony sex offenses, homicides, aggravated assaults, among others. The primary goal of this law is to ensure that only individuals who have truly committed the crime they were accused of are convicted. All too often, individuals who are completely innocent are wrongfully convicted and end up spending years in prison for a crime that they did not commit, which effectively can ruin their life.
These video recordings will be required for any custodial interrogation that takes place at a police station, correctional facility, prosecutor’s office, as well as in other custodial holding locations. The law also states that if an officer who has conducted an interrogation has gotten a confession from a suspect but they failed to record the video, the confession does not count as evidence in the case.
If you have been arrested, it is important to retain the services of an experienced criminal defense attorney that can fight for your future today.
If you are in need of experienced legal counsel for a criminal defense matter on Long Island or throughout New York State, please contact Grunwald & Seman, P.C. to schedule a consultation and we would be happy to assist you.
