Date of Defense
12-2014
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Criminal Justice (MSCJ)
Department
Sociology and Criminal Justice
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Dr. Christopher Totten
Committee Member
Dr. Rebecca Petersen
Committee Member
Dr. Peter Fenton
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to explain the importance of the Miranda warnings on law enforcement conducting interrogations and the impact they have made on the criminal justice system. Interrogations conducted by law enforcement are a valuable tool to obtain confessions to crimes. The Miranda warnings were established to protect individuals suspected of committing a crime by safeguarding and cautioning them to remain silent and have an attorney present if requested during custodial interrogation. An extensive literature review on United States Supreme Court decisions involving the Miranda warnings, the “Reid Technique” on interrogations, and law journal articles related to the impact of Miranda and The Reid Technique was conducted to shed a light on the significant case of Miranda v. Arizona (1966). The Reid Technique is the leading approach to training law enforcement on effective techniques to obtain admissible confessions.