Okuzeka
Criminal Law & Justice vocabulary · Police Investigation & Arrest

Right to remain silent

Meaning in criminal law & justice, with examples

phraseCommon term

In criminal law & justice, right to remain silent means: A suspect's legal right not to answer questions from the police or the court, so that nobody can be forced to give evidence against themselves.

In Turkish: susma hakkı, sessiz kalma hakkı

How it is used

Best known from the American 'Miranda warning', which begins 'You have the right to remain silent'. Lawyers say a suspect 'exercised' or 'invoked' the right. In England and Wales the police caution warns that staying silent may harm the defence later, because courts can sometimes draw conclusions from silence.

Example sentences

  1. The officer reminded him of his right to remain silent.

  2. She used her right to remain silent and answered 'no comment' to every question.

Common collocations

  • exercise the right to remain silent
  • invoke the right to remain silent
  • Miranda warning
  • no comment interview
  • interrogationThe formal and often long questioning of a suspect by the police or other officials in order to get information or a confession.
  • suspectA person whom the police believe may have committed a crime but who has not yet been charged or found guilty.
  • defence lawyerA lawyer who represents a suspect or defendant, protects their rights and argues their side of the case against the prosecution.
  • confessionA statement in which a person admits that they committed a crime, usually made to the police during questioning.
  • arrestTo take a person into police control using legal powers, usually because they are suspected of a crime; the noun 'arrest' names this act.

More terms: Police Investigation & Arrest

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.