At trial, the appellant, Ernesto Miranda, objected to the admission of evidence obtained during a police interrogation by coercion. The Arizona Supreme Court held that the appellant’s constitutional rights had not been violated and affirmed the judgement of the lower court.

Facts

Ernesto Miranda was arrested and identified by the complaining witness. Miranda was then interrogate by two detectives who testified that they had not informed Miranda of his right to remain silent or to have counsel. The confession obtained from the detectives’ interrogation was then used at trial to convict Miranda to 20-30 years in prison.

Issue

Are the privileges given in the 5th and 6th amendments applicable to custodial interrogation? In other words: outside of trial.

Rule

The 5th Amendment. Which states that no person can be compelled to be a witness against themselves. And the 6th Amendment which states that a person shall have assistance of counsel for their defense.

If the interrogation proceeds without an attorney, the Justices said, a heavy burden lies on the state to demonstrate that the defendant knowingly and intelligently waived his privilege.

Analysis

In this case, the appellant was confined to unfamiliar surroundings, uninformed, and unaware of his fifth amendment right to silence and 6th amendment right to counsel. The Court ruled that the typed statement of volition at the header of Miranda’s written statement was insufficient demonstration that the defendant (appellant here) had knowingly and intelligently waived his 5th and 6th amendment privileges, suggesting that the detectives may have taken advantage of the defendant’s indigence.

Conclusion

The Court reversed the rulings of the lower courts because Miranda had not been apprised of his rights and the waiver of rights given by the state did not reach the Court’s accepted standards for the waiver of constitutional rights: that the defendant knowingly and intelligently did so.

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