Why Is Miranda Rights Important

Miranda Rights are important because they ensure the reliability of a suspect’s confession and that the suspect is aware of his/her rights while in custody. The Miranda Rights were implemented after the Miranda v. Arizona case that was brought to the Supreme Court. In this case, Ernesto Miranda was convicted of rape, kidnapping, and robbery based on his confession to the police, without him being aware of the fifth and sixth amendments. The Supreme Court ruled that his disclosure was not valid as a result of the Amendments.

According to a PBS article on the case, the Supreme Court justified their decision by the fact that “police had failed to first inform Miranda of his right to an attorney and against self-incrimination.” Furthermore, the article elaborates, “The police duty to give these warnings is compelled by the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment, which gives a criminal suspect the right to refuse “to be a witness against himself,” and the Sixth Amendment, which guarantees criminal defendants the right to an attorney.” According to an article by the Legal Resource Library, “The Supreme Court found that police officers need to provide suspects with their Miranda rights in order to safeguard a person’s right not to self-incriminate.” The Surpeme Court wanted to ensure that the police did not take advantage of suspects and induce confessions. The PBS article explained that the Court wanted suspects to tell their side of the story “without fear,

According to a New York Times article, the Supreme Court ruled after 1966, that the Miranda Rights do not apply and that officers do not need to read the Miranda Rights in offline siuations that are “immediate threats to public safety.” They are justified in their ruling, because the fifth amendment states that suspects are required ot answer in situations regarding the Grand Jury, “land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in the time of War or public