AAPL Landmark - Criminal Procedure Flashcards
Is a California statute making the status of drug addiction a crime unconstitutional?
Yes.
Robinson v. California (1962). The USSC said that it was a violation of the 8th Amendment via other 14th Amendment to make a “status crime” like substance addiction a crime.
Are police required to inform a suspect of his or her rights to remain silent and to have an attorney present?
Yes!
Miranda v. Arizona (1966). The USSC ruled that due to the inherently coercive nature of custodial interrogation, a suspect must be “clearly informed” of his rights and must explicitly waive them.
Can public intoxication be treated as a crime if it is a result of alcoholism?
Yes!
Powell v. Texas (1968). The crime is not the status of being an alcoholic. Instead, the crime is being intoxicated in public so the 8th Amendment, as per the 14th Amendment, does not apply.
Can a defendant plead guilty even though he maintains his innocence?
Yes.
North Carolina v. Alford (1970). The 4th Circuit reversed Mr. Alfords guilty plea, but the USSC said that the fear of the death penalty, in and of itself, is not adequately coercive to invalidate a guilty plea within the meaning of the 5th Amendment. They cited the strength of the evidence against Mr. Alford and competent representation as factors.
Is coercive police activity required for a finding of lack of voluntariness of a confession?
Yes.
Colorado v. Connelly (1986). Confession in Denver. The USSC opined that coercive police activity is required to allow suppression of a confession based on violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
May a judge require that a person remain drug-free as a condition of probation if she suffers from an addiction?
Yes.
Commonwealth of Mass v. Eldred (2018). The Mass SC ruled that an addict’s conditions of parole can include abstinence, citing judicial discretion. That parole violation is not punishing the initial criminal act but the parole conditions. So, the status offense of being a drug addict was side-stepped.
