A Critical Discussion of Youth Miranda Waivers, Racial Inequity, and Proposed Policy Reforms

Sydney Baker et al., 29 Psychol. Pub. Pol’y & L. 320 (2023).

This article is a call to action for the research community and advocates to engage youth and families with lived experience in the legal system in research on the impacts of race, development, and identity on youth interrogations. The authors detail the limitations of existing Miranda waiver and youth interrogation reforms and call for the use of “critical race realism,” which helps identify racism inherent in the law and legal procedure. They also advocate for the use of “participatory action research” as a means to dramatically alter the experiences of youth who face police interrogation. This paper highlights the importance of considering the intersectionality of identity and other factors as we move to transform the legal system’s impact on youth.