法律英语导读(20)

   17. After I’m Arrested, Is It Ever a Good Idea to Talk to the Police?

　　Not without talking to a lawyer first. Talking to the police is almost always hazardous to the health of a defense case, and defense attorneys almost universally advise their clients to remain silent until the attorney has assessed the charges and counseled the client about case strategy.

　　18. How Do I Assert My Right to Remain Silent If I Am Being Questioned By the Police?

　　Suspects do not need to use any magic words to indicate that they want to remain silent. Indeed, they don’t have to use any words at all. Arrestees may invoke their Miranda rights by saying things like the following:

　　· "I want to talk to an attorney."

　　· "Please leave me alone."

　　· "I don’t have anything to say."

　　· "I claim my Miranda rights."

　　If the police continue to question an arrestee who says anything like the above, the police have violated Miranda. As a result, nothing the arrestee says after that point is admissible in evidence.

　　19. If the Police Question Me Before Arresting Me, Does the Miranda Rule Apply?

　　Not necessarily. Miranda applies only to "custodial" questioning. A person is not in custody unless a police officer has "deprived a [person] of his freedom of action in a significant way." When it decided the Miranda case, the Supreme Court said that its ruling does not apply to "general on-the-scene questioning as to facts surrounding a crime or other general questioning of citizens in the fact-finding process.’’ Thus, unless a person is in custody, an officer can question the person without giving the Miranda warning, and whatever the person says is admissible in evidence.