Miranda v. Arizona

In 1966 a case called Miranda v. Arizona was taken to the Supreme Court where a ruling was made that forever changed the legal system. Miranda was arrested for charges of kidnapping and rape but was never convicted because he wasn't read his rights before making a confession. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the majority opinion, believing that the condition a suspect is put in after an arrest is "inherently intimidating". Warren believes a suspect being harassed and tortured for a confession might say something self incriminating that police would later use against them. Because of the Fifth Amendment that states a person shouldn't have to bear a witness against him or herself in any criminal case. Miranda was let go until he was re-tried later on other evidence. It brought up a good point that if every accused person was treated like a criminal then a lot of innocent people would be punished. A lot of people were worried that Miranda would lead to more crime but we still use this today. Every police officer has these rights memorized and reads them to a suspect of every arrest. In a more recent case, Cheif Justice William Rehnquist stated his believes in the Miranda rights and calls them an importaint part of American Culture.

Alana VanZanten