Official Statement: Brendan Dassey

We are profoundly disappointed by the decision of four judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit to reverse two prior decisions and deny relief to Brendan Dassey. Like many around the globe, we share the view of the three judges who wrote, in dissent, that today's ruling represents a "profound miscarriage of justice." We intend to continue pursuing relief for Brendan, including through a petition for certiorari in the United States Supreme Court.

Today's ruling contravenes a fundamental and time-honored postion of the United States Supreme Court; interrogation tactics that may not be coercive when applied to adults, are coercive when applied to children and the mentally impaired. indeed, when such tactics are applied to vulnerable populations, the risk of false confessions grows intolerably. Unfortunately this time-worn lesson was ignored today by four judges in the case of Brendan Dassey. We at the Centre on Wrongful Convictions of Youth are committed to fight on behalf of Brendan and others like him to prevent future miscarriages of justice.

Laura Nirider and Steven Drizin