Graduation Year
2024
Graduation Month
May
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
School or Department
Communicative Sciences and Disorders
Major
Communicative Sciences and Disorders
Faculty Mentor Department
Communicative Sciences and Disorders
Faculty Mentor
Ginger Collins
Keywords
Miranda Warning, Youth Offenders, Miranda Comprehension, Adolescent, Language
Subject Categories
Juvenile Law | Speech and Hearing Science | Speech Pathology and Audiology
Abstract
Background: Numerous studies have established that the linguistic complexity of the Miranda warning often results in poor comprehension, particularly for adolescents. Several studies have shown that persons with language disorders are overrepresented in U.S. prisons. Additionally, a few studies have shown a strong positive correlation between language scores and scores on Miranda assessments. These findings suggest that individuals with language disorders are at risk for poor comprehension of their Miranda rights, placing them at greater risk of waiving those rights, which can lead to incarceration.
Aims: The goal of this preliminary investigation is to examine how well adolescents with typical language understand the Miranda warning. This investigation will contribute to a larger study examining differences in Miranda comprehension and self-perception of comprehension in adolescents with high language skills, low language skills, and impaired language skills.
Methods and Results: Participants were three 16-year-old male high school students with typical language skills. Each participant was administered a standardized, comprehensive language test, a standardized test of nonverbal intelligence, and portions of a standardized Miranda comprehension test. Results revealed that each participant demonstrated average to high language skills however still struggled with certain aspects of Miranda.
Conclusions: Further research is needed, however the results suggest that adolescents do not fully understand Miranda and would benefit from explicit instruction.
Honors College Research Project
Yes
GLI Capstone Project
no
Recommended Citation
Hinds, Emma K., "Do High School Students Understand Their Miranda Rights? A Preliminary Investigation" (2024). Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts. 518.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/utpp/518
Included in
Juvenile Law Commons, Speech and Hearing Science Commons, Speech Pathology and Audiology Commons
© Copyright 2024 Emma K. Hinds