SB 5866 - DIGEST

     Declares an intent to strike a balance between public safety concerns, especially in prosecutions involving the victimization of infants and young children, and the need to maintain adequate safeguards against the introduction of unreliable confessions, admissions, or other statements of those accused of crimes.

     Provides that, in criminal and juvenile offense proceedings where independent proof of the corpus delicti is absent, and the alleged victim of the crime is incompetent to testify or is otherwise legally unavailable to testify, a lawfully obtained and otherwise admissible confession, admission, or other statement of the defendant shall be admissible into evidence if there is substantial independent evidence that would tend to establish the trustworthiness of the confession, admission, or other statement of the defendant.