J.D.B. v. North Carolina
The Court Requires Police to Take Age Into Account During Interrogation
J.D.B. v. North Carolina was featured in Minors and Miranda, Supreme Court Debates (May 2011). The following is excerpted from the summary of the majority opinion written by Justice Sotomayor, as prepared by the Court Reporter of Decisions: A child’s age properly informs Miranda v. Arizona (1966)’s custody analysis. Custodial police interrogation entails “inherently compelling pressures,” Miranda, that “can induce a frighteningly high percentage of people to confess to crimes they never committed.” — Corley v. United States (2009). Recent studies suggest that risk is all the more acute when the subject of custodial interrogation is a juvenile. Whether…