If you should be taken into custody by a police officer, you have the right to know what charges are being filed against you and all of the potential penalties of those charges.
- You have the right to a lawyer, whether it is one that you hire or one that is appointed to you if you cannot afford one on your own.
- You also have the right to have a judge decide if you should be released or kept in jail until your trial date.
- When you are taken into custody, the officers may ask you for personal information such as your name and address. However, before any questions are asked, they must inform you that you have the right to remain silent and that anything that you say to them could be used against you in a case.
- They also have to inform you that you can have an attorney present while they question you to guide you in your answers. If you choose to not say anything to the police officers and state that you wish to remain silent or that you want an attorney, they are required to stop questioning you.
If you choose to remain silent, that cannot be used against you, but anything that you write or sign is allowed to be used against you. If you simply request a lawyer, the police must immediately stop speaking with you until you have spoken with your lawyer.
If you are ever in a situation like this in which you need to contact a criminal lawyer, call the Law Office of Kerrisa Chelkowski.