MIRANDA RIGHTS COMPREHENSION EVALUATIONS
Did the individual truly understand their rights? A forensic speech-language evaluation can determine that.
Providing forensic services across AZ • CA • CO • FL • NM • PA • WA • VA
What Is a Miranda Rights Comprehension Evaluation?
A Miranda Rights Comprehension Evaluation determines whether an individual had the language, cognitive, and communication skills needed to knowingly, voluntarily, and intelligently understand their rights at the time they were read.
A forensic SLP assesses:
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Understanding of the language used in the rights
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Ability to process and retain information
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Ability to ask clarifying questions
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Impact of stress, pressure, disability, or trauma
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Reading and listening comprehension
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Cognitive-communication functioning under interrogation
This evaluation answers the essential legal question:
Did the individual have the communication capacity to understand their Miranda rights?
Why Attorneys Request a Miranda Evaluation
Attorneys often retain a forensic SLP when:
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A client has low literacy
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English is a second language
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A client has TBI, stroke, autism, intellectual disability, ADHD, language disorder, or mental health complications
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The client gives inconsistent statements
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A confession appears rushed, pressured, or out of character
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A youth or vulnerable adult was interviewed
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Police used fast, complex, or legalistic language
A forensic SLP provides scientific, objective evidence, not assumptions.
What a Miranda Rights Evaluation Includes
1. Cognitive-Communication Assessment
Evaluates:
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Short-term memory
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Processing speed
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Attention
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Problem solving
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Executive functioning
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Receptive and expressive language
These skills directly impact Miranda comprehension.
2. Reading & Listening Comprehension Testing
Most Miranda warnings are written at a 10th–12th grade reading level, despite many individuals functioning below that.
The evaluation determines:
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What grade level the person reads at
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Whether they understood legal vocabulary
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How much information they retained
🔗 Read the full article: How Language Disorders Affect Miranda Rights Understanding
3. Analysis of the Actual Warning Used
Not all Miranda warnings are written equally.
A forensic SLP reviews:
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Length
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Complexity
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Sentence structure
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Speed of delivery
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Whether clarifications were offered
4. Interview/Interrogation Language Review
If recordings or transcripts exist, the analysis includes:
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Leading vs open-ended questions
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Speech rate
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Interruptions
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Evidence of confusion or acquiescence
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Yes/no over-reliance
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Signs of pressure, fatigue, or overload
5. Expert Opinion
Your report will include:
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Whether the individual’s understanding was adequate
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Whether deficits impaired comprehension
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Whether the Miranda warning was developmentally or cognitively appropriate
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The likelihood the individual knowingly waived their rights
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Functional implications for court
Who Benefits from This Evaluation?
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Adults with neuro or developmental disorders
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Teens or young adults
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Individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI)
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Autistic individuals
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People with intellectual disabilities
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English-language learners
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Individuals with mental health + cognitive overlap
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Anyone who appears confused or compliant during police interviews
Why a Speech-Language Pathologist?
Miranda comprehension is fundamentally a language and communication task — not purely psychological or legal.
SLPs are uniquely qualified to evaluate:
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Language processing
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Literal vs abstract understanding
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Narrative ability
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Suggestibility
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Communication under pressure
This makes a forensic SLP’s opinion critical in cases involving waiver of rights.
Schedule a Forensic Miranda Evaluation
Evidence-based expert analysis for attorneys and legal teams.
📩 ejtcommunicationconsultant@gmail.com
🌐 www.ejtcommconsult.com