Juvenile offenders' Miranda rights comprehension and self-reported likelihood of offering false confessions.
This study examined whether age, IQ, and history of special education predicted Miranda rights comprehension and the self-reported tendency to falsely confess to a crime among 55 delinquent boys. The Miranda Rights Comprehension Instruments-II, a revised version of Grisso's Instruments for Assessing Understanding and Appreciation of Miranda Rights, were developed for this study and are described in detail in this article. Results revealed that age, IQ, and special education were related to comprehension of Miranda rights. When Miranda comprehension, age, and IQ were simultaneously tested as predictor variables of the self-reported likelihood of false confessions, only age served as an independent predictor. Research and policy implications of this study are presented, and recommendations for use of the original and revised instruments are reviewed.
Goldstein
Naomi E Sevin
NE
Department of Psychology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19102-1192, USA. naomi.goldstein@drexel.edu
Condie
Lois Oberlander
LO
Kalbeitzer
Rachel
R
Osman
Douglas
D
Geier
Jessica L
JL
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002961:Civil Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003068:Coercion; D032882:Comprehension; D003416:Criminal Law / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts; D010565:Persuasive Communication; D016495:Police; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D011594:Psychometrics; D012650:Self Disclosure; D013404:Suggestion