Miranda Rights ''Interrogation'' Definition

The law as to the meaning of "interrogation" under Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S. Ct. 1602, 16 L. Ed. 2d 694 (1966). In Rhode Island v. Innis, 446 U.S. 291, 100 S. Ct. 1682, 64 L. Ed. 2d 297 (1980), the U.S. Supreme Court laid down certain reasonable parameters in regard to what is custodial interrogation in light of Miranda. The Innis case held that the Miranda safeguards come into play whenever a person in custody is subjected to either express questioning or its functional equivalent. It was also stated by the Innis Court that for Miranda purposes, the term "interrogation" refers to any words or action on the part of the police, other than those normally attendant to arrest and custody, that the police should know are reasonably likely to elicit an incriminating response from a suspect.