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Miranda v. Arizona. Have you ever heard of it? Probably not. Why should you care? If you're not planning on going into law, law enforcement, or organized crime, you don't really need to worry about it. However, say you go a little crazy with the free crack at a concert and you drive home. You don't notice you've been speeding and you get pulled over. You will likely be taken out of your car while the officers search your car. If you get arrested, they'll say something like this: " You have the right to remain silent; anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." That's called a Miranda warning, and it is your right to have the cop remind you of your ability to stay silent.
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Quick Summary |
Example of a Miranda Warning |
Ernesto Miranda (24 year old high school drop-out, accused of kidnapping and raping and robbing an 18 year old woman) was arrested at his home and taken into interrogation without being advised of his Fifth Amendment rights to a speedy trial by a peer jury, to be able to remain silent, his right to not self-incriminate, and his right to legal counsel. His confession under non-forceful/lethal/painful interrogation was used to convict him in trial, but he appealed to the Supreme Court. The 5-4 decision ruled that you must be read your rights or anything you say in front of an official is inadmissible as evidence in court, but they did uphold his sentencing.
PurposeThe reason for this website is to inform my generation of the rights we are entitled to, especially given our statistical tendency towards delinquency. We're called the Mile-HIGH state for a reason, and if I can't stop people from making bad decisions, I'll make sure they're educated about what happens after.
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A Note:Even though it is commonplace for officers to "read you your rights" in the car, it is not required. The only time that you absolutely MUST be read your rights is before being interrogated. Your Miranda rights allow you to have legal counsel while you are being questioned so that your Constitutional right to not self-incriminate is not infringed.
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