This study examined whether age, IQ, and history of special education predicted Miranda rights co... more This study examined whether age, IQ, and history of special education predicted Miranda rights comprehension and the self-reported tendency to falsely confess to a crime among 55 delinquent boys. The Miranda Rights Comprehension Instruments–II, a revised version of Grisso’s Instruments for Assessing Understanding and Appreciation of Miranda Rights , were developed for this study and are described in detail in this article. Results revealed that age, IQ, and special education were related to comprehension of Miranda rights. When Miranda comprehension, age, and IQ were simultaneously tested as predictor variables of the self-reported likelihood of false confessions, only age served as an independent predictor. Research and policy implications of this study are presented, and recommendations for use of the original and revised instruments are reviewed.
This study examines whether public opinion parallels recent judicial and statutory changes limiti... more This study examines whether public opinion parallels recent judicial and statutory changes limiting the applicability of capital sentences to offenders younger than 18 years old. Two hundred and thirty-five undergraduate students were administered a vignette of a capital case and asked to render a sentence of death or life in prison without parole. Results revealed that age of the defendant was not a significant predictor of sentence type; participants sentenced 16- and 17-year-old defendants similarly to 18- and 25-year-old defendants. Therefore, public opinion appears inconsistent with legal and legislative changes to abandon the practice of executing juveniles. Findings also suggested that perceived level of the defendant's responsibility and general opinion about capital sentences significantly predicted sentence type; perceptions of greater responsibility were associated with an increased likelihood of a death sentence. However, participants did not perceive differences in responsibility between juvenile and adult defendants. In addition, participants were more comfortable sentencing defendants to death compared with life in prison.
This article describes the psychometric properties of the Miranda Rights Comprehension Instrument... more This article describes the psychometric properties of the Miranda Rights Comprehension Instruments, the revised version of Grisso’s Miranda instruments. The original instruments demonstrated good reliability and validity in a normative sample. The revised instruments updated the content of the original instruments and were administered to a sample of 183 youth in pre- and postadjudication facilities. Analyses were conducted to establish the psychometric properties of the revised instruments and included similar analyses to those conducted by Grisso, as well as additional calculations (e.g., standard errors of measurement, intraclass correlation coefficients, Kappa coefficients). Results revealed sound psychometric properties, similar to those observed for the original instruments.
In Verdin v. Superior Court , 183 P.3d 1250 (Cal. 2008), Jose De Jesus Verdin appealed the trial ... more In Verdin v. Superior Court , 183 P.3d 1250 (Cal. 2008), Jose De Jesus Verdin appealed the trial court's decision, requiring him, following his notice of intent to raise a diminished-actuality defense, to submit to a mental examination by an expert retained by the prosecution. The Court of Appeal (
In recent years, ethical concerns have emerged among psychologists, psychiatrists, and physicians... more In recent years, ethical concerns have emerged among psychologists, psychiatrists, and physicians about interrogating inmates detained at U.S. military prison camps, such as Guantanamo Bay, or consulting on such interrogations. These concerns have escalated to levels necessitating the three major associations—the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Medical Association—to formulate position statements on these issues. Within the psychological community, two divergent schools of thought have developed, and this article explores the role of psychologists in these types of interrogations and the related ethical concerns. Specifically, this article provides an overview of psychologists' roles in this area, presents an analysis of the ethical guidelines, discusses the implications of the American Psychological Association's position statement, and offers suggestions to reconcile the current ethical debate.
This study examined the efficacy of the Juvenile Justice Anger Management (JJAM) Treatment for Gi... more This study examined the efficacy of the Juvenile Justice Anger Management (JJAM) Treatment for Girls, an anger management and aggression reduction treatment designed to meet the unique needs of adolescent girls in residential juvenile justice facilities. This randomized controlled trial of JJAM compared changes in levels of anger and aggression among girls who participated in the JJAM treatment with those of girls who participated in treatment as usual (TAU) at the facilities. This study also investigated the theoretical model underlying the JJAM treatment, which proposed that reductions in hostile attribution biases, development of emotion regulation skills, and improvement in social problem solving would serve as mechanisms of action in JJAM. Participants were 70 female youth who ranged in age from 14 to 20 years (M = 17.45, SD = 1.24) and were placed at 1 of 3 participating juvenile justice facilities; 57 youth completed the study and were included in analyses. Results revealed g...
This study examined whether age, IQ, and history of special education predicted Miranda rights co... more This study examined whether age, IQ, and history of special education predicted Miranda rights comprehension and the self-reported tendency to falsely confess to a crime among 55 delinquent boys. The Miranda Rights Comprehension Instruments–II, a revised version of Grisso’s Instruments for Assessing Understanding and Appreciation of Miranda Rights , were developed for this study and are described in detail in this article. Results revealed that age, IQ, and special education were related to comprehension of Miranda rights. When Miranda comprehension, age, and IQ were simultaneously tested as predictor variables of the self-reported likelihood of false confessions, only age served as an independent predictor. Research and policy implications of this study are presented, and recommendations for use of the original and revised instruments are reviewed.
This study examines whether public opinion parallels recent judicial and statutory changes limiti... more This study examines whether public opinion parallels recent judicial and statutory changes limiting the applicability of capital sentences to offenders younger than 18 years old. Two hundred and thirty-five undergraduate students were administered a vignette of a capital case and asked to render a sentence of death or life in prison without parole. Results revealed that age of the defendant was not a significant predictor of sentence type; participants sentenced 16- and 17-year-old defendants similarly to 18- and 25-year-old defendants. Therefore, public opinion appears inconsistent with legal and legislative changes to abandon the practice of executing juveniles. Findings also suggested that perceived level of the defendant's responsibility and general opinion about capital sentences significantly predicted sentence type; perceptions of greater responsibility were associated with an increased likelihood of a death sentence. However, participants did not perceive differences in responsibility between juvenile and adult defendants. In addition, participants were more comfortable sentencing defendants to death compared with life in prison.
This article describes the psychometric properties of the Miranda Rights Comprehension Instrument... more This article describes the psychometric properties of the Miranda Rights Comprehension Instruments, the revised version of Grisso’s Miranda instruments. The original instruments demonstrated good reliability and validity in a normative sample. The revised instruments updated the content of the original instruments and were administered to a sample of 183 youth in pre- and postadjudication facilities. Analyses were conducted to establish the psychometric properties of the revised instruments and included similar analyses to those conducted by Grisso, as well as additional calculations (e.g., standard errors of measurement, intraclass correlation coefficients, Kappa coefficients). Results revealed sound psychometric properties, similar to those observed for the original instruments.
In Verdin v. Superior Court , 183 P.3d 1250 (Cal. 2008), Jose De Jesus Verdin appealed the trial ... more In Verdin v. Superior Court , 183 P.3d 1250 (Cal. 2008), Jose De Jesus Verdin appealed the trial court's decision, requiring him, following his notice of intent to raise a diminished-actuality defense, to submit to a mental examination by an expert retained by the prosecution. The Court of Appeal (
In recent years, ethical concerns have emerged among psychologists, psychiatrists, and physicians... more In recent years, ethical concerns have emerged among psychologists, psychiatrists, and physicians about interrogating inmates detained at U.S. military prison camps, such as Guantanamo Bay, or consulting on such interrogations. These concerns have escalated to levels necessitating the three major associations—the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Medical Association—to formulate position statements on these issues. Within the psychological community, two divergent schools of thought have developed, and this article explores the role of psychologists in these types of interrogations and the related ethical concerns. Specifically, this article provides an overview of psychologists' roles in this area, presents an analysis of the ethical guidelines, discusses the implications of the American Psychological Association's position statement, and offers suggestions to reconcile the current ethical debate.
This study examined the efficacy of the Juvenile Justice Anger Management (JJAM) Treatment for Gi... more This study examined the efficacy of the Juvenile Justice Anger Management (JJAM) Treatment for Girls, an anger management and aggression reduction treatment designed to meet the unique needs of adolescent girls in residential juvenile justice facilities. This randomized controlled trial of JJAM compared changes in levels of anger and aggression among girls who participated in the JJAM treatment with those of girls who participated in treatment as usual (TAU) at the facilities. This study also investigated the theoretical model underlying the JJAM treatment, which proposed that reductions in hostile attribution biases, development of emotion regulation skills, and improvement in social problem solving would serve as mechanisms of action in JJAM. Participants were 70 female youth who ranged in age from 14 to 20 years (M = 17.45, SD = 1.24) and were placed at 1 of 3 participating juvenile justice facilities; 57 youth completed the study and were included in analyses. Results revealed g...
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Papers by Rachel Kalbeitzer