Adolescent rights comprehension: The influence of age, intelligence, and interrogative suggestibility

Research demonstrates that many adolescents show poor comprehension of their legal arrest rights. This finding is concerning given recent trends towards the increased availability of severe punishments for youths convicted of serious crimes. This study investigates the relationship between age, intellectual ability, interrogative suggestibility and arrest rights comprehension in a Canadian sample of 94 adolescents 12 to 19 years of age. Participants completed the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, Grisso's Instruments for Assessing Understanding and Appreciation of Mirundu Rights, and the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scales. Results showed that age and IQ significantly and independently predicted rights comprehension. Younger adolescents did not understand their rights as well as older adolescents, and youths with lower intellectual ability levels also demonstrated more impaired comprehension of their rights. Interrogative suggestibility was inversely related to rights comprehension, and this relationship was mediated by IQ, but not moderated by age. The implications of these findings are discussed.