The Fifth Amendment: “No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”
Injustice Anywhere has no intention of providing information to help the guilty avoid prison. Our goal is to make sure the right people go to prison. One way to do this is to help law enforcement avoid making mistakes. In cases of wrongful convictions, mistakes are often made by law enforcement in the early stages of their investigation that lead them down the wrong path. These mistakes often occur when investigators interview people of interest. If you are a person of interest, talking to the police just might make you a suspect. As the old saying goes; you only get one chance to make a first impression. This is an understatement if you are talking to the police about a crime that they believe you could be involved with. If you make a wrong impression, you just might find yourself in jail awaiting trial.
Our advice to you: don’t talk to the police.
Efforts to stop wrongful imprisonment must begin from the very moment the accused is approached by law enforcement. Nothing good can possibly come from talking to the police without proper representation.
The most important advice an attorney can give their client in any criminal case is to remain silent. If the police have enough evidence to charge you with a crime, they are going to charge you no matter what you say. Speaking can never help you, but can do a lot of harm if the police get the wrong impression from your statements.
Here is an excellent presentation given by a law school professor and former criminal defense attorney discussing why you should never agree to be interviewed by the police.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8z7NC5sgik
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08fZQWjDVKE