Addressing relative criteria for Miranda waivers: a comparison of juvenile justice youths’ and adult offenders’ understanding and appreciation of the rights to silence and legal counsel during police interrogations

Abstract

Concerns about juveniles' abilities to understand and appreciate their Miranda rights, as well as empirical evidence about juveniles' deficits in Miranda comprehension, are well documented in the legal and psychological literature. However, it has been over 30 years since juveniles' abilities relative to adults have been evaluated. In this study, juveniles' (n = 183) and adults' (n = 103) performance on the Miranda Rights Comprehension Instruments (MRCI) were compared, and the relationship between age and Miranda comprehension was evaluated across both samples. Results revealed that juveniles scored significantly lower than adults on all MRCI subtests and that age and Miranda comprehension had a meaningful, but not perfectly linear relationship. With respect to Miranda understanding, significant differences were observed between younger and older adolescents, with tapering improvement into adulthood. Significant improvements were observed on Miranda vocabulary and appreciation well into adulthood. Results are discussed in the context of neurological development and adolescents' developmental immaturity, specifically in terms of implications for greater Miranda waiver protections for juveniles and young adults during custodial interrogations.Ph.D., Psychology -- Drexel University, 201