Know Your Right to Remain Silent When Charged With Criminal Cases
If you are charged with a criminal case, you can either have a right to remain silent or hire an attorney. However, when you have an attorney, you are also invoking the right to be quiet. This means you do not wish to answer to any interrogation until your lawyer is around.
Invoking the Right to Remain Silence and Police Protocol
Usually, the police will read to a suspect the regulations and rights to remain silent. If the suspect agrees not to participate in an interrogation, it does not stop the police from digging up evidence. Also, any implicating statement the suspect makes during the period of silence can still be used by the police as evidence. The best is not to speak until your attorney arrives at the situation.
More so, suspects don’t need to remain silent after being informed of their rights. The suspect may waive the right if there is a need for some voluntary statements. Nevertheless, the law does not support cajoling by the police, even for a criminal case, especially if it is an underage person.
How to Invoke Your Right to Remain Silent When Charged With Criminal Cases
According to the law, you will need to tell your interrogator expressively that you are exercising the right to remain silent. Often, police officers will take your statement as a request for a lawyer.
It would help if you also were careful of ambiguous or uncertain statements. For instance, “I may need to get a lawyer” or “what if I choose to remain silent.” No police will take you seriously in this case, and some may pretend to know you understand what you should say. Hence, they will continue the interrogation regardless.
If you are dealing with a skilled interrogator, you need to be clever with your actions and words. Often, they love to play ambiguity with suspects’ words.
Learn More About Your Right to Invoke Silence Through an Attorney
The best chance you will ever get before going to a court is by consulting the expert opinion. Wherein, invoking the right to remain silent grants you this opportunity. However, you can now learn more about your rights by reaching out to your local legal advisor or defense attorney.
