Use Your Right to Remain Silent
A wise old criminal lawyer once said: "I have never lost a case, but I have had many clients who lost them on their own." What he meant was that clients often do not know when to keep their mouths shut. There are many good reasons that the right to remain silent is one of the founding principles of our criminal justice system. Law enforcement agents use many tactics to get you to make incriminating statements, whether oral or written. Often what you say you said or what you meant to say will differ from what the police say you said or how your written statement, often drafted by a police officer, reads. This is most important when you are the target of a criminal investigation or if you have been arrested for a crime. We have seen many DUI cases lost in the Charleston area because of statements made by defendants on videotape at the scene or later at the police station. An important rule to follow is do not make any statements, either oral or written, to law enforcement agents without talking to your attorney first.
- 1 year ago
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