When must Miranda rights be administered?

• A. Only after a formal arrest document is signed.
• B. Only if the suspect explicitly asks for counsel.
• C. Rights to remain silent and to counsel; must be read when the person is in custody and subject to interrogation before questioning.
• D. They are never required in noncustodial interviews.

Answer: (C)

Miranda warnings protect a suspect’s Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during police questioning. They must be read when a person is in custody and subject to interrogation, and before any questioning begins. This means if someone is not in custody or the police aren’t asking questions intended to elicit information, the warnings aren’t required. It also isn’t tied to signing a formal arrest document, and they aren’t triggered just because a suspect asks for counsel—though once the right to counsel is invoked, interrogation must stop. So the best answer is the one that states rights to remain silent and to counsel must be read when the person is in custody and subject to interrogation before questioning.