Abstract
This study brings together teenage language comprehension and the field of youth criminal justice by examining the comprehension of Wh-questions in police and court interrogations by youth suspects. Research shows that 50-75% of teenage suspects have a significant - previously undiagnosed - language impairment (Bryan et al. 2007; Snow & Powell; 2005; 2008; Snow et.al. 2016; Fleetwood-Bird 2018). Wh-questions are a crucial part of interrogations since they are about the participants and circumstances of the events, and the corresponding answers will determine the degree of guilt. We show that (Dutch) interrogator utterances contain many complex Wh-questions that are known to be difficult for children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). We argue that this increases the vulnerability of youth suspects in criminal justice, thus undermining the fundamental right to a fair trial (a.o. Article 14 ICCPR 1976).