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Bill will require cops to notify parents, guardians before questioning juveniles
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Posted on Aug 28 2008
House Floor Leader Joseph James N. Camacho on Wednesday introduced a bill that would require the notification of parents or guardians before police can question juveniles.
Camacho’s legislation also seeks to require the presence of parents and guardians during police’s interrogation.
“Oftentimes, in juvenile cases, government resources are spent fighting in court whether a juvenile willingly and knowingly waived his or her constitutional rights,” the Floor Leader told Saipan Tribune.
Having a parent or guardian present during questioning by the police, the lawmaker pointed out, will protect the juvenile’s rights and minimize cost of delays, hearings, and appeals.
In the bill, Camacho said teenagers, particularly those who are younger than 15 years old, do not fully understand their constitutional rights when taken into police’s custody.
“Yet under current Commonwealth law, there is no requirement that law enforcement officials notify a parent that they have a juvenile in custody for questioning or provide the juvenile with an opportunity to consult with a parent before waiving his or her constitutional rights,” he said. (Ferdie de la Torre)
