You might have heard of your right to remain silent, if only through television shows, movies and other pieces of media.
However, not you might not know exactly what these rights covered, or what it even means to have a right to remain silent in the first place.
Right to remain silent
Miranda Warning goes into detail about your right to remain silent, which is part of your Miranda rights. First, what exactly is your right to remain silent?
In essence, this ensures that you do not have to actually converse with police, even if they want to interrogate you. It allows you to avoid caving to unfair pressure and gives you the ability to avoid self-incrimination.
Self-incrimination is something that can happen to anyone, even people who are innocent of the crimes they are accused of. It is the simple act of saying or doing something in police interrogation that they can use to say you are at fault for the crime.
Right to legal counsel
Many people end up self-incriminating because they simply do not know how to properly speak with law enforcement. This is where the second part of your Miranda rights protections comes in: your right to legal counsel, even if you cannot afford it.
Attorneys are expensive and a luxury that not everyone can pay for. However, your Miranda rights guarantee you access to legal counsel. If you cannot pay for it, the state will assign you an attorney.
They will be able to navigate the conversation with police much better than you likely could, making utilizing your Miranda rights of crucial importance.
