Ask Not What Miranda Has to Do with You (and Your Clients): What Can You Do with Miranda?

The protections afforded by Miranda are meaningless if no one identifies when a defendant may have been incapable of rendering a voluntary and intelligent waiver of rights. The “professional neglect hypothesis” addresses situations in which attorneys and forensic practitioners fail to screen for Miranda issues. The authors specify cognitive impairment as one of the most prominent domains for potential Miranda-related impairment.