Denton Criminal Attorneys

Origins of Miranda Rights

You have probably heard the Miranda rights repeated in every police or detective crime novel. “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…” or some version of this.

While we as an audience might ignore the weightiness of this statement, if we are ever faced with a police officer giving us this speech, it is important to understand its origins and meaning.

Miranda v. Arizona was the case in which the Miranda rights were mandated for law enforcement officers to say whenever they arrested someone. The Miranda rights are there to protect you against any misconduct of the police and to remind you not to say anything about the case before talking to a lawyer.

"Miranda" was a man who was arrested for a number of counts, and confessed to everything while the police officers interrogated him, or as the court determined, intimidating him into confessing. Because of this case, police must give you your Miranda rights, or else the case can be completely thrown out and justice may not be served. Police officers will still try to get a confession from the arrestee, but you can deny it to them and wait for your lawyer.

Contact a Denton Criminal Lawyer

If you have been accused of a crime and are in need of an experienced defense lawyer, contact the Denton criminal lawyers of Alexander & Associates at 972-420-6560.