Speech On Miranda Rights

The United States of America is one of the few countries in the world that cares for every citizen’s rights, even the accused. For instance, in 1966, the Supreme Court took it upon themselves to investigate the rights and treatment of the accused. The Court realized that some police officers would exploit the ignorance of the person(s)’ in question by not letting them know what rights accused persons had, and understood the government had to take action. The Miranda law requires police officers to state, “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 will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?” With these few words, America changed the way it saw

the United States Constitution.
In view of these events, it is important for people who are being questioned by the police to have their Miranda Rights read to them because the rights are clearly stated in order for the accused to understand what they can and cannot do.

In 1966, Ernesto Miranda was taken into custody for robbery, kidnapping, and rape. After two hours of questioning, Miranda confessed to his crimes. Being uneducated in the matter, Miranda did not know that the Fifth Amendment gives everyone the right to remain silent and not talk about anything that might convict him, or her. Miranda also didn't understand the Sixth Amendment, which provides everyone the right to have an attorney when the police are asking questions about a crime. The United States Supreme Court found that, in Miranda v. Arizona (1966), because the police had not told Miranda about these constitutional rights, the confession to the crimes could not be used as evidence against Miranda at trial. To avoid an unfortunate rerun of these events, police officers now tell the person in question their ‘Miranda Rights’ before he, or she, is taken into

custody.
Furthermore, people should have the right to remain silent when being questioned by the police because the accused may accidentally suggest that the person in question is guilty. The Fifth Amendment states, “... Nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law..." The Constitution explicitly states that American citizens have the right to not incriminate ourselves. One of the ways of not incriminating ourselves is by remaining silent. We are exercising our free rights and liberties when our own selves put the Miranda Law into use, as the Framers had intended.
The accused should have the right to have a lawyer present when being questioned by the police because the Sixth Amendment states, the accused have the right “to have the Assistance of Counsel in his defense.” A lawyer is, by definition, “a person whose job is to guide and assist people in matters relating to the law.” By being well-educated and learned in the law and government, a lawyer can “guide and assist” an accused person through an interrogation and to not incriminate themselves. Without a lawyer, a person in custody could easily slip up, incriminate themselves, and land themselves in jail. These events could happen to even an innocent citizen, without a lawyer to conduct him, or her.
The Miranda Law is the American dream and philosophy in action. The government saw wrong in the way the police were enforcing the law; ergo, they studied, analyzed, then fixed the flaw. Yes, it is true that the Miranda Law makes it harder to take the accused’s rights away, but that is how America is supposed to be. Our founding fathers, fearing over-powerful governments, wanted it to be harder to take away a person’s rights. By doing so, the United States of America is preserving our life and humanity in our society.