Being interrogated by police officers can be a stressful situation, but it requires you to make a very important decision, even though you’re stressed. This decision is whether you are going to invoke your Miranda rights or not.
The Miranda rights are a set of rights that are based on the United States Constitution. They’re named after a case, Miranda v. Arizona, that went before the United States Supreme Court. The outcome of that case is that police officers must read individuals’ specific constitutional rights if they’re in custody and being interrogated.
What rights are included in the Miranda rights?
A suspect’s rights include the right to remain silent, which is meant to preserve their right to avoid self-incrimination. They also have the right to speak to an attorney before speaking to police officers.
Once police officers read you those rights, you have to determine if you’re going to invoke them or not. If you invoke them, you must do so in a very clear manner. This can be something as simple as “I choose to remain silent” or “I want to speak to my attorney.”
Invoking your rights means that you shouldn’t speak to police officers. They must cease all questioning, which means they can’t get anyone else to come in to resume questioning. If they don’t abide by your invocation, anything you say may be able to be suppressed in the case against you.
Miranda rights violations are civil rights violations, which may become critical in your defense strategy. Working with someone who can assist you with this process may be beneficial.