Top of page

You Have the Right to Remain Silent…

Share this post:

Police School [between 1909 and 1940]. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/npcc.28466.
Police School [between 1909 and 1940]. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/npcc.28466.
The above phrase is one of the most recognized in the U.S. criminal justice system.  It has been included in so many TV shows and movies that I imagine many people will automatically continue to recite the rest of the words!

June 13, 2016, was the 50th anniversary of the famous Supreme Court decision in the case of Miranda v. Arizona, which gave rise to what is now commonly referred to as the “Miranda warning.”  This week, the Law Library of Congress will hold an event about the depiction of law in popular culture, which will include a montage of film clips showing the reading of the Miranda warning in movies and TV shows over the last 50 years.  The Law Library has also produced an online publication commemorating the 50th anniversary of the decision.  There you can find various documents, including “exchanges among key stakeholders from the time of the trial, a few of whom are now historical figures of great renown.”

Due to the sheer number of references to the warning in popular culture, people in many other countries might also have a pretty good knowledge of its content and wording.  But do their own police officers actually use the same, or similar, warnings when arresting or questioning suspects?

If you’ve ever wondered about the answer to this question, or if you’ve just started wondering about it now, the Law Library has a great resource for you.  We have published on our website a report, titled Miranda Warning Equivalents Abroad, that provides information on the requirements for law enforcement officers in 108 countries to inform persons arrested or questioned for an offense of their right to remain silent and/or right to consult a lawyer.  Where possible, our foreign law specialists and analysts have included the actual wording that is to be used in a particular country.