Know Your Miranda Rights
Know Your Miranda Rights
In the case of Miranda v. Arizona, the Supreme Court of the United States held that every criminal defendant should be informed of certain rights if they are detained and before police officers try to ask questions. While these rights do not have to always be worded the same, they must inform the arrestee of the following:
● You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
● You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one can be provided for you.
A common question that people have is whether or not to invoke the right to remain silent and/or the right to an attorney. Many people think that if they do so, they will seem guilty, and it will hurt their case. In reality, the opposite is true. Invoking your Miranda rights cannot be used against you in your criminal case. On the other hand, failing to invoke your rights and answering police questions without legal representation often causes harm to your case.
Remaining silent is important because police officers know how to get incriminating statements from people in custody - even if a person is innocent. They can take your answers and skew them as evidence against you. Even if officers promise they are on your side - rest assured they are not.
You want to clearly state to officers that you would like to remain silent and call an attorney. Then, contact a criminal defense lawyer who can begin helping you right away. We can represent you in all communications with police, which should immediately halt when you invoke your rights, and should not begin again until you have a lawyer present.
The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. We invite you to contact us and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. These recoveries and testimonials are not an indication of future results. Every case is different, and regardless of what friends, family, or other individuals may say about what a case is worth, each case must be evaluated on its own facts and circumstances as they apply to the law. The valuation of a case depends on the facts, the injuries, the jurisdiction, the venue, the witnesses, the parties, and the testimony, among other factors. No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.
The Law Office of Richard F. Matthews, Jr. serves Montgomery County, Pike County, Elmore County, Autauga County, the River Region of Alabama and throughout the State of Alabama, including Montgomery, Troy, Wetumpka Prattville, Selma and Tuskegee. No attorney-client relationship is established by requesting a consultation or emailing Attorney Richard F. Matthews, Jr.. Information submitted in such communication is not privileged and may be subject to disclosure.
