SPRINGFIELD — A measure that would guarantee a lawyer for children ages 13 to 17 during interrogation on murder investigations stalled in the Senate amid Republicans concerns.
The bill’s sponsor Chicago Democrat Sen. Patricia Van Pelt agreed to meet with Republicans who said they need more time to analyze the plan.
Under current Illinois law, youth between 13 and 17 can waive the right to an attorney and the right to remain silent without a lawyer present. Illinois law already requires children under 13 to have a lawyer present when being interrogated for murder and sex offenses.
There were about 69 juvenile murder arrests across the state in 2014, the latest year such figures are available.
Van Pelt said even though state law requires that a parent or youth correctional officer is present when a child is being interrogated, children don’t understand the process and often falsely confess to crimes.
“We need to focus on protecting the most vulnerable people of our population and that’s our children,” Van Pelt said during the floor debate on Thursday.
Chief co-sponsor Sen. Mattie Hunter of Chicago said the plan could prevent children from going directly into the adult prison system.
Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno said during the debate that she wasn’t sure if Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner supported the plan. Other Republican lawmakers also said they wanted Van Pelt to wait for a vote on the measure because of the State’s Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor’s Office was opposition to the wording of the bill. Matt Jones, spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, would not explain what the concerns were.
Van Pelt said the Rauner administration told her that the governor would sign her plan if the legislature successfully approved it. She said she plans to meet with Radogno to discuss her concerns.
Van Pelt said the plan is scheduled to return to the full Senate for a vote next week.
