House Bill 349 is a bill that promotes truth telling by criminal defendants who choose to testify at trial.

Every criminal defendant has a constitutional right to testify in his defense. But that right must never be construed to include the right to commit perjury. Alaska's current law prevents courts from using suppressed prior inconsistent statements to challenge the credibility of defendants. This perverts the truth-finding process. It gives those who would lie under oath in a bid to escape justice a license to deceive jurors and judges as happened in a recent murder trial in Anchorage.

Under the supervision of a judge, a new law will permit prosecutors to cross-examine defendants using prior suppressed statements and evidence. Passage of HB 349 will bring Alaska into the mainstream of American and federal jurisprudence where such rules have been the law for years.

# # #

22 Viewer(s)