Answer: Miranda rights are only required when the police are questioning you in the context of a criminal investigation and hope to or desire to use your statements as evidence against you. Otherwise, Miranda doesn't apply and they're not required to be read.

When must Miranda rights be given?

Miranda rights must be given only when a suspect is both, in custody and subject to interrogation. It is important to know that custody is not limited to being in a police car or at the police station.

In what situations are Miranda rights required?

It doesn't matter whether an interrogation occurs in a jail, at the scene of a crime, on a busy downtown street, or the middle of an open field: If a person is in custody (deprived of his or her freedom of action in any significant way), the police must read the Miranda rights if they want to ask questions and use the ...