Crim Pro Flashcards
Fifth Amend
Privilege against self-incrimination
Prohibition against double-jeopardy
Sixth Amend
Right to Speedy Trial
Right to trial by jury
Right to confront witnesses
Right to assistance of counsel
Eighth Amend
Death Penalty
Prisoner Rights
Exclusionary Rule
Victim of illegal search or coerced confession can have that evidence excluded from subsequent criminal prosecution.
Limitations of Exclusion
Does not apply to grand jury proceedings
–Grand Jury witness can be compelled to testify based on illegal seized evidence.
Not available in civil proceedings
Not available in parole revocation proceedings
- *Doesn’t apply to the use of excluded evidence for impeachment purposes.
- -All illegally seized evidence may be admitted to impeach the credibility of the D’s trial testimony. Miranda violations qualify here.
- -Only D’s testimony may be impeached, NOT the testimony of other defense witnesses.
Exclusion not available for knock-and-announce rule in the execution of search warrants.
Fruit of Poisonous Tree Doctrine
Doctrine excludes illegal seized evidence plus all evidence obtained or derived from policy illegality.
This does not apply to Miranda violations UNLESS police act in bad faith in obtaining such information.
Breaking the Fruit Chain
Independent source doctrine
Inevitable discovery doctrine
Intervening acts of free will on part of D
How does the exclusionary rule affect a conviction?
Won’t necessarily overturn.
Ct. applies harmless error doctrine.
Conviction upheld if the conviction would have resulted despite the improper evidence.
Arrests and Detentions
Arrest must be based on PC
Arrest warrants are generally not required for arresting in public place.
Non-emergency arrest of an individual in his home DOES require an arrest warrant.
Police need PC to compel you to go to police station for fingerprinting or interrogation .
Basics of Terry Stop
Can detain with reasonable suspicion supported by articulable facts of criminal activity. (Hunch not enough)
Reasonable suspicion depends on totality of circumstances.
Auto stops: Police may stop a car if they have at least reasonable suspicion that the law has been violated. EXCEPTION: Check point/road blocks/border crossing/DWI check (must be neutrally applied)
Traffic Stop and Puppy Dogs
Sniff is not a search so long as police do not extend the stop beyond the time needed to issue a ticket or conduct normal inquiries.
- -Dog alert can establish PC to search
- -Dog sniff outside house cannot be used.
Search and Seizure Model Answer Outline (5 steps)
Gov't Conduct? Reasonable Expectation of Privacy? Valid Search warrant? No warrant? Good faith basis? No warrant? Exceptions to warrant?
What is gov’t conduct?
Publically paid police on or off duty
Private person acting at the direction of the public police.
–Privately paid police must be deputized w/ power to arrest you.
What is a reasonable expectation of privacy?
Automatic categories
- -Own the premises searched
- -Live on premises searched, whether you have ownership interest or not.
- -Overnight guests have standing to object to the legality of the search of the place they are staying.
Sometimes Category
–Own premises searched but there must be reasonable expectation of privacy in the item or area searched.
No Standing Category
–No expectation for anything you “hold out to public” everyday, such as: sound of voice, handwriting style, paint on outside of car, acct records held by a bank, monitoring the location of your car on a public streeet or in driveway (GPS put on car is search though), anything that can be see across open field, seen from public airspace, odors emanating from luggage, garbage set out on the curb for collection (garbage leaning against house is private).
When do police have a valid search warrant?
Two core requirements for FACIALLY valid search warrant: PC and particularity.
PC= Clear probability that item of a crime will be found in the area searched.
Particularity: must state with particularity the place to be searched and the things to be seized.
Using informants for warrants
Sufficiency determined by T and C
Basis of knowledge and credibility are all relevant factors in making this determination.
Cannot be based solely on anonymous tip but can be partially based on anonymous tip.
When is no knock permitted in executing a warrant?
Officer need not “knock and announce” if knocking and announcing would be dangerous, futile, or inhibit the investigation.
Biggest fear is destruction of evidence.
When does an officer’s good faith save the defective search warrant?
Good faith reliance overcomes defects w/ PC or particularity.
Four exceptions to this rule:
- -Aff. so lacking in PC that no reasonable officer would rely on it.
- -Aff. underlying the warrant is so lacking particularity that no reasonable officer would have relied on it.
- -Police or prosecutor lied to or misused the magistrate when seeking a warrant.
- -Magistrate is biased, and therefore has wholly abandonment his or her neutrality.
If a warrant is invalid and cannot be saved by the good faith defense or if thepilice never had any warrant at all, what exceptions can be used for the warrant requirement?
Search incident to constitutional arrest
- arrest is unlawful then search is
- -arrest and search must be contemporaneous in time and place
- -Person and the area within person’s wingspan.
- -Can search car but
- –1) Only when arrestee is unsecured and can gain access to the interior of the vehicle OR 2) police reasonably believe that evidence of offense for which the person was arrested may be found in the vehicle. Doesn’t matter what was found even if different from what was expected.
Plain View
Officer must be legitimately present at the location where he or she does the viewing of the item seized.
It must be immediately apparent that the item is contraband or a fruit of a crime.
Consent
Must be coluntary
3rd Party Consent
2 or more have an equal right to use a piece of property, either can consent to its warrantless search. However, if both present and one says no and one says yes, yes trumps.
Stop and Frisk
Pat down of outer clothing to check for weapons.
–If PC arises can become an arrest and full search can be conducted.
–Auto stops: Believes driver or passenger may be armed & dangerous, officer can 1)conduct a frist of the person and 2) may search vehicle.
Evanescent Evidence, Hot Pursuit, Special Needs
- Blood sample needs warrant
- Hot pursuit: w/in 15 minutes behind felon
- -If truly in hot pursuit, can enter anyone’s home w/o warrant and any evidence in plain view will be admissible.
Inventory Searches
-Before incarceration, police can search 1) arrestee’s personal belongings, 2) arrestee’s entire vehilce.
Public School Searches
Public school children engaged in extra curricular activities (even chess) can be randomly drug tested (covers school dance)
Warrantless searches of kid’s effects (purses/backpacks) can be searched to investigate violations of school.
School search only reasonable if 1) it offers a moderate chance of finding wrongdoing; 2) the measures adopted to carry out the search are reasonably related to the objectives of the search; and the search is not excessively intrusive.
Wiretapping and Eavesdropping
Requires a warrant
Exceptions: “Unreliable ear” and “uninvited ear”
- -Everyone assumes risk that person they are talking to will consent to the gov’t monitoring the conversation or will be wired– therefore no 4th amend. objection
- -No 4th amend. right if she makes no attempt to keep conversation private.
Confessions: What is a sufficient Miranda warning?
Verbatim not required, so long as substance delivered.
Custodial interrogations trigger Miranda warnings.
Standard for determining custody?
You are in custody if reasonable person would not feel free to leave.
- -Ct. will look at whether situation presents the same inherently coersive pressures as a station house questions.
- -Normally “not free to leave” standard normally applies to being in a cop car or jail, but your home or a hospital bed may also reach the same level.
Probation interviews and traffic stops NOT custodial.
Interrogation
Under 5th amend. miranda doctrine, interrogation is defined as any conduct where the police knew or should have known that they might illicit incriminating response from suspect.
Notes:
–Must be more than asking questions.
Rmbr to tell grader which statement is the violation.
Don’t need Miranda for spontaneous statemetns.
Miranda Waiver
Must be knowing and voluntary
T. of circumstances standard.
Invoking Miranda Rights
- -Must be unambiguous
- -Can re-question after invoking right when 1) significant time has passed, 2) re-mirandized, and 3) questions limited to crime that was not subject of earlier questioning.