Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed legislation that requires an attorney to be present when police question juveniles younger than 15 in murder or sex offense investigations. Illinois already mandates legal representation for children younger than 13 in those cases, even if they're not the targets of the criminal probe.
But lawmakers who sponsored the legislation argued 14- and 15-year-olds should receive legal protection, too. Lawmakers say the new law is meant to eliminate false confessions.
Juvenile interrogations were a focus of the Netflix documentary "Making a Murderer," which showed Brendan Dassey, without a lawyer present, confessing to police about his involvement in the 2005 slaying of a woman whose remains were found near his uncle's trailer. A judge overturned Dassey's conviction this month.
