How Sleep Disruption Impacts the Evidentiary Value of Statements and Confessions: Toward Evidence-Based Standards

Key Points

• Impaired memory reliability is a key outcome following sleep disruption in cognitive processes during interviews.
• A significant decline in the evidentiary value of confessions occurs, particularly when sleep is disrupted for 24 hours or more.
• An extensive literature review highlights the relationship between sleep disruption and altered decision making in legal contexts.
• Findings suggest that current legal standards may need revision to align with scientific understanding of memory and sleep.