Miranda Waivers and the Validation of Miranda Measures: An Investigation of Miranda Knowledge, Beliefs and Decisions

最高法院在其具有里程碑意义的“米兰达诉美国”案中确立了对在押嫌疑人的宪法保护。在制定米兰达警告的基本组成部分时（例如，关于沉默权，法院一直拒绝具体说明这种警告或放弃的语言。因此，已经确定了800多个不同版本的米兰达，其长度从21到408个单词以及2.8年级和大学毕业后的阅读水平有很大差异。在分析被拘留者的意见，在多个时间点逮捕后，该项目确定的心理弱点，损害米兰达的理解和随后的决策。 潜在的脆弱性包括智力有限、学习障碍和精神障碍。除了心理上的脆弱性，嫌疑人可能有受损的思维模式，称为认知扭曲，这影响了他们理性决定是否放弃沉默权和咨询权的能力。这个项目研究了心理脆弱性和认知扭曲如何损害嫌疑人的宪法保护。它们是针对代表性的米兰达警告写在容易（低于6级），中度（8至10级），和困难（12级或更高）阅读水平。他们还评估了警告的类型（口头与书面）。 第二个目标是制定简化的米兰达警告，通过向在押嫌疑人提供易于理解的信息，促进程序正义。在这样做的过程中，研究确定了米兰达警告的原型组件，这些组件简短，清晰，易于阅读。这些简化的警告是为了测试它们的清晰度和易于理解。 最后，本研究希望能为米兰达词汇的标准化评估、对米兰达警告的理解和对米兰达豁免的决策提供可靠有效的米兰达测量方法。

The Supreme Court in its landmark decision of Miranda v. United States established constitutional protections for suspects in custody. While mapping out the basic components of Miranda warnings (e.g., right to silence), the Court has consistently declined to specify the language of such warnings or waivers. As a result, more than 800 different versions of Miranda have been identified that vary markedly in length from 21 to 408 words and reading level from grade 2.8 and post-college. In an analysis of detainees with observations taken at multiple time points following arrest, this project identifies psychological vulnerabilities that impair Miranda comprehension and subsequent decision making. Potential vulnerabilities include limited intelligence, learning disabilities, and mental disorders. Beyond psychological vulnerabilities, suspects may have impaired thinking patterns, called cognitive distortions, which affect their abilities to rationally decide whether to give up their rights to silence and counsel. This project examines how psychological vulnerabilities and cognitive distortions may impair suspects' constitutional protections. They are addressed for representative Miranda warnings written at easy (less than grade 6), moderate (grade 8 to 10), and difficult (grade 12 or higher) reading levels. They are also evaluated for the type of warning presentation (oral versus written). A second objective is the development of simplified Miranda warnings that can facilitate procedural justice by informing custodial suspects with easily understood information. In doing so, the study identifies prototypical components of Miranda warnings that are brief, clear, and easily read. These simplified warnings are tested for their clarity and ease of comprehension. Finally, the research is expected to contribute to the development of reliable and valid Miranda measures for the standardized assessment of Miranda vocabulary, comprehension of Miranda warnings, and decision-making about Miranda waivers.