The Importance of the 5th Amendment (Part 1)
The vast majority of your basic rights as a citizen or resident (legal or illegal) of the United States are set out in the Bill of Rights, which comprises the first ten Amendments to the Constitution.
The Fifth Amendment deals in particular with the rights of those who are arrested. Your right to a jury trial, your right against being tried twice for the same crime, called double jeopardy, your right to due process and your right to remain silent are all written in the the Fifth Amendment.
While most of these rights are of more concern to your attorney than to you, your right to remain silent is one which you should be familiar with. The "right to remain silent" is in fact not written in the Amendment; the phrase is that no person "shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself." Often, suspects will invoke this right by "pleading the Fifth" or "exercising the right to remain silent." It is one of the Miranda rights which must be read upon arrest.
Check back on Wednesday to read more about your 5th Amendment rights!
The De Castroverde Law Group can give you more information about your rights if you have been arrested. Contact a Las Vegas Criminal Defense Attorney at the firm today!