Casey Seiler reports on the Times Union Capitol Confidential blog the Innocence Project and state Bar Association are calling for two pretrial reforms to criminal procedure. Barry Scheck of the Innocence Project kicked off the press conference at the Capitol, Thurs., May 30. The reforms, as described:

• To prevent false confessions, they are calling for legislation requiring police to videotape interrogations in full so that there is a complete record of the interrogation that can be shown in court.


• To prevent eyewitness misidentifications, they are seeking approval of a bill mandating that police identification procedures be conducted in a double-blind fashion, meaning that the officer who conducts the lineup does not know the identity of the suspect. This will ensure that the eyewitness is not influenced by clues delivered either directly or indirectly by police.

Assemblyman Joe Lentol introduced a bill to require videotaping of confessions along with a number of other provisions; it currently lacks a Senate sponsor, Seiler reported. Read the full story on Capitol Confidential.