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Texas Rangers Finally Ditch Their Sketchy Hypnosis Program

A local newspaper published an expose last year on the Rangers’ extensive hypnosis program, which was sometimes used to put people on death row.

One of the most prominent law enforcement hypnosis programs in the country has come to an end. The Texas Department of Public Safety says they’ve stopped using the questionable practice in January after decades of hypnotizing people during murder and other investigations. “DPS has developed more advanced interview and interrogation techniques that yield better results,” a spokesperson told the Dallas Morning News.

The change came nearly a year after the newspaper released a multi-part investigation about the Texas Rangers’ extensive use of hypnosis and the science that says it can distort witnesses’ memories and lead to false convictions. The investigation found the Rangers used hypnosis more than 1,700 times since the program began, leading to dozens of convictions and even to the death penalty for some individuals.