Waiving the Fifth Amendment Privileges Self-Quiz
Jean is arrested
by Officer Handleman for putting graffiti on walls around town. When Handleman
first puts the cuffs on Jean says “Don’t worry, I ain’t
gonna ask for no attorney. I’m sure you and I can work somethin’
out. I know things ‘bout stuff goin’ on.” Handleman
simply says “Shut up, would ‘ya!” and puts Jean in the
car. On the way to the station Jean says “I’m happy to talk
to you ‘bout bigger fish out there.” Handleman repeats his
brusque warning. At the station house Handleman reads Jean her rights
and hands her a form to sign to acknowledge that she was given her Miranda
warning. She then says “I wanna waive my rights.” Can she
waive her rights at this time?
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Ron Pardoe
is arrested for yelling “Fire!” during a showing of the classic
movie “Inferno” in a crowded theater. He is brought to the
local police station where he is properly Mirandized and left alone in
a room with a “Confession Form.” He fills out the form, signs
at the bottom, and patiently awaits the officer’s return, all the
while thinking to himself how unlike the movies the interrogation room
looks and wondering why he didn’t see any boxes of donuts on the
Detective’ desks outside. Ron also wonders when they replaced the
bare bulb hanging from the ceiling with the long fluorescent bulbs he
now sees there. Which of the following statements is most relevant?
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After signing
the “Confession Form” in the question above, Officer Brady
enters the interrogation room. “I’m glad you decided to come
clean,” he says. “Say, you wouldn’t know anything about
the bag of drugs we found under the seat you had been in at the theater,
now, would you?” Ron tells Brady he’d like to remain silent
and asks for his lawyer. “I’d be glad to accommodate you sir,”
says Brady, but by signing this Confession Form you already waived you
rights. Too bad, so sad. Now talk!”
Is officer Brady right? |
Elaine Marbeck
and her sons from East Salem, New York, are once again in trouble with
the law over marijuana fields discovered on their extensive property.
Elaine and her older sons Mark and Dick are arrested and brought to the
police station. Elaine’s fifteen year old daughter, Susie, is also
arrested. Susie is a good girl who gets straight A’s in school and
never gets in trouble. There was that one time, in band camp, but that’s
not really relevant. Elaine is brought into an interrogation room, Mirandized
and then asked questions about the marijuana. Tired of going to jail,
she decides to keep her mouth shut this time and wait for her lawyer.
She does not actually request her lawyer – instead, she simply refuses
to say a word. When Sheriff Crane realizes that Elaine is unlikely to
respond he puts her in a cell across the hall from Susie’s. Elaine
is alone in her cell. Susie shares her cell with several experienced prostitutes.
After a few minutes Elaine is brought back into the interrogation room.
She is Mirandized again and says she’s willing to confess. She is
handed a “Miranda Waiver Form” which she signs, and her confession
is then tape recorded. Can the confession be used against her in her trial?
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Dilbert is
arrested by Officer Coshon for computer theft. He is brought to the local
precinct house and properly Mirandized. He is then left in the general
holding pen used for all the precinct’s male prisoners for approximately
one hour (it’s lunch time for Coshon). Also in the cell is a suspected
rapist, a suspected drug dealer, and two drunks who got in a fight and
are sleeping it off. Dilbert has led a protected life and has never been
around any criminal element, “except,” he thinks to himself,
“those guys I sold the computers to.” After about an hour
he is brought into an interrogation room, Mirandized again, and asked
about the missing computers. He admits to the theft and pleads with the
officer to get him out of the holding pen and “away from those bad,
bad people.” Can the confession be used as evidence against Dilbert
in his trial for the theft?
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