I like to watch TV. I admit it. I watch a lot of different types of shows, but Law and Order _____ (fill in the blank) and CSI _____ (fill in the blank) and just about every other law enforcement/lawyer/spy show that is around are among my favorites.
They are all a little different, but they all have one thing in common. They should all teach you that if you are ever arrested, you should say “I want a lawyer” and then you SHUT UP!
Do you know what ‘The Closer’ does when someone says they want a lawyer? She walks out of the room!
These shows also teach you that police-persons sometimes lie. The Police-person will tell you that ‘I can’t help you unless you tell me the truth’, but that is a ploy to get you to tell them what you did (and yes, it is legal for them to lie to you).
We get clients all the time that want us to find a way to get them declared innocent of some criminal offense, or help them with a plea bargain, but they’ve already made a confession, or a number of confessions.
I had a client tell me that the only reason he confessed is that they kept asking him questions for 4 hours. First of all, any mother of a sick infant could do 4 hours of police questioning ‘standing on her head’. Secondly, if you had asked for a lawyer at the beginning, there would not have been four hours of questioning.
Going into court for a client who has already confessed to the crime is like playing a world-series baseball game….only you start in the 9th inning with 2 outs, 2 strikes against you and you’ve never seen this pitcher before. The odds are really stacked against you.
Please don’t misunderstand my motives. I think criminals should be tried and they should get the punishment they deserve. And I think that the police and prosecutors should do everything they need to do to convict the guilty. But I also think that the laws are there for a reason and if someone has given you your ‘Miranda’ warnings, you should listen and take advantage of them.
So, I”m going to say something most mothers never say. Maybe we should watch more TV!
