How to Flex Your Rights During Police Encounters

The Fifth Amendment Self-incrimination Clause

"...No person... shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself or be deprived of life liberty or property without due process of law..."

The right against self-incrimination has ancient roots in common law dating back to biblical times. While most provisions of the Fifth Amendment, such as the right to a jury trial and the right against double jeopardy, impose restrictions upon our courthouses, the right against self-incrimination has a profound effect upon the behavior of law-enforcement officers as they investigate crimes. For this reason, the meaning of the self-incrimination clause has remained one of the most controversial issues in criminal procedure since the Supreme Court's ruling in Miranda v. Arizona.

Check out this comment on our blog, which accuses Flex Your Rights of compromising police work by helping serious criminals evade prosecution:

Professor Duane from Regent Law School has a speaking style similar to Regis Philbin on methamphetamine. As a result this compelling 27-minute lecture flies by.

If anyone has any lingering doubts about why you need a lawyer if you're under police investigation, check out this revealing video of Mike Nifong's testimony before the North Carolina State Bar disciplinary committee.

For the video impaired, here's the transcript: