Assessing Linguistic Diversity in Deaf Criminal Suspects

Consistently providing sign language interpreters to deaf criminal suspects when conducting police interviews has been a problematic area for law enforcement. Successfully implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act requires that the criminal justice system assume not only the responsibility of providing qualified sign language interpreters but also that of working closely with interpreters to assess and accommodate a linguistically diverse population. This study focuses on how legal interpreters identify varying language levels in deaf suspects. This survey of forty-six professional sign language interpreters working in criminal justice settings reviews critical indicators that interpreters use in the assessment process, as well as ob-served barriers to the provision of effective communication within the criminal justice system structure.