Miranda Rights 101: Your Rights While Being Questioned, Detained, or Arrested by Police

The Miranda rights you often hear recited in movies or on TV come from the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Miranda v. Arizona. The Supreme Court’s rulings in Miranda and later cases require law enforcement officers to inform suspects in police custody of their constitutional rights before questioning them.

This article discusses your Miranda rights. Specifically, you’ll learn when and how those rights apply to police questioning or an arrest. If you have been charged with a crime, you can also contact a local criminal defense attorney for targeted legal advice. An attorney can review the evidence and circumstances of any interrogations to assess if your rights were violated. 

The Miranda Warning

The Miranda warning informs a suspect of their right against self-incrimination per the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. It also notifies them of their Sixth Amendment right to have a criminal defense attorney present during an interrogation. The law requires police to read Miranda rights to a criminal suspect before they begin a custodial interrogation.

The Miranda warning came out of a group of cases involving confessions given by particularly vulnerable defendants. The Supreme Court found that the police failed to inform the accused of their rights. This failure, the court said, prevented the defendants’ confessions from truly being the product of free choice.

Reciting the Miranda warnings is only part of the obligation, though. A defendant must not only receive the warning but also understand it.

Once law enforcement Mirandizes a suspect, officers may begin questioning them. Custodial interrogation occurs after law enforcement takes the arrestee into police custody. Such an interrogation often occurs at the police station, but not always.

Miranda Rights Threatened

Although well-known, Miranda rights are not entirely secure from attack. As recently as 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court decided a case that threatened to undermine Miranda. In Dickerson v. United States, a district court suppressed the accused’s statement because he made it before law enforcement read him the Miranda warning.

A court of appeals found that a post-Miranda statute, part of the Omnibus Crime Control Act of 1968, made all voluntarily given evidence admissible. The appellate court felt that the act, created by Congress, held precedence over the court’s previous interpretation.

The U.S. Supreme Court overruled the appellate court. The Supreme Court held that Congress could not overrule the court’s interpretation of constitutional protections. As a result, Miranda remains the governing authority regarding the admissibility of statements made during custodial interrogations.

Invoking and Waiving Miranda Rights

To gain full protection of the right to remain silent, the suspect must unequivocally invoke it. Just remaining silent does not mean that police must stop their interrogation. To invoke their right, a suspect can simply state, "I invoke my right to remain silent." The invocation must be clear and unwavering.

If the suspect does not clearly invoke their right, the police may continue to question them. They may also make repeat attempts to question the suspect.

Even if a suspect properly invokes their rights, they can subsequently waive them. For example, suppose a suspect invokes their right to remain silent but subsequently makes voluntary statements to law enforcement. Such voluntary statements indicate a waiver of the previously invoked rights. Thus, the prosecution can likely use such statements in the suspect’s criminal trial.

Those accused of a crime should be careful to invoke their Miranda right to silence and avoid inadvertently waiving these rights.

Questioned by the Police? Talk to an Attorney

If law enforcement has interrogated you, it’s crucial to seek legal advice immediately. An attorney can determine if any statements you made to the police are admissible in court. They do this by evaluating several factors, such as whether you made your statements voluntarily, were properly informed of your rights, and if law enforcement obtained evidence legally.

Contact a criminal law attorney for expert guidance on the best course of action.