Background
Summary and Questions
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Vocabulary
immigrant
(to immigrate)
Define:
Use in a sentence:
accused (to accuse)
Define:
Use in a sentence:
confession
Define:
Use in a sentence:
appealed (to appeal)
Define:
Use in a sentence:
interrogation
(to interrogate)
Define:
Use in a sentence:
Ernesto
Miranda was a poor Mexican immigrant who lived in
Arizona in 1963. A woman accused Miranda of committing
a crime against her. The police arrested Miranda and asked
him questions about the crime for two hours.
In
the United States, people who are accused of crimes have
certain rights granted by the Constitution. The Fifth Amendment
of the Constitution says that they have the right to be
silent. The Sixth Amendment of the Constitution says that
they have the right to have a lawyer to help defend themselves.
The
police did not tell Miranda that he had these rights when
they arrested him. After the police were finished asking
Miranda questions, he signed a confession. The police
used his confession in the trial and Miranda was convicted
of the crime. The judge decided he should serve 20 to 30
years in prison for each crime.
Miranda
appealed his case to the highest court in Arizona,
called the Supreme Court of Arizona. His attorney argued
that his confession should not have been used as evidence
in his trial because Miranda had not been informed of his
rights, and no attorney had been present to assist him during
his interrogation. The Arizona Supreme Court denied
his appeal and upheld Miranda's conviction.
The
Supreme Court of the United States agreed to hear Miranda's
case. The decision in Miranda v. Arizona was
handed down in 1966.
Questions to Consider:
- What
rights of the accused does the Fifth Amendment protect?
The Sixth Amendment?
- If
the police had informed Ernesto Miranda of these rights,
do you think he would have done anything differently?
-
This case involves balancing the rights of the accused
against society's need to to fight crime. Could informing
accused persons of their rights hurt the ability of the
police to fight crime? Why or why not?
- Do
you think that informing people of their rights when they
are accused of crimes helps protect innocent citizens?
Why or why not?
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