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Custodial interrogation

Definition

Questioning by police of a person who is in custody, meaning their freedom of movement is restrained in a way a reasonable person would not feel free to end. Miranda warnings are required before custodial interrogation; they are not required for voluntary conversations or non-custodial questioning.

Related terms

Cognitive demand
The mental processing load a text or statement places on the reader or listener. High cognitive demand reduces accurate comprehension, particularly under...
Comprehension assessment
In the Miranda context, structured testing of a suspect's understanding of each element of the warning, using instruments such as Grisso's Instruments...
Miranda warning
The statement of rights that US police must deliver to a suspect before custodial interrogation, required by the Supreme Court's 1966 decision...
PACE caution
The rights caution used by police in England and Wales under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (as amended): 'You do...
Waiver
The voluntary, knowing, and intelligent relinquishment of a known right. A valid Miranda waiver requires the suspect to understand the rights and...

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