Sleepers : Truth versus fiction

Though Carcaterra claims that the book is a true story, critics have asserted that the majority of it, if not all of it, is fictional:

No record has been found for any such trial even remotely similar to the one depicted in the film.
Carcaterra's school records show that between the ages of 5 and 14, he only missed a total of three weeks worth of school; according to the book, he was incarcerated in a juvenile detention center for six months when he was 13, and he would not have had any school records for this period.

No records exist for any of the other three boys mentioned in the book.
No murders, as described in the book's closing chapters, took place on the dates specified.
Carcaterra states that everything he wrote was true, but that he did change names, dates and places to protect the identities of those involved, making it difficult to independently verify the facts. As an example, he states that he moved the location of the trial to Manhattan. If the trial had taken place in another jurisdiction, such as a different borough of New York or in New Jersey, that would not be reflected in the Manhattan district attorney and court records. The book also explains that school records were altered to show that the boys were in school during the time they were actually in Wilkinson. It is not surprising that only records for Carcaterra exist as his is the only real name used.

The version of the film shown on cable, although uncut, contains disclaimers before the end credits stating that the New York youth correctional authorities and the Manhattan district attorney's office deny that the events in the film took place. A final title card states that Carcaterra stands by his story.