When Does Police Questioning Become Custody? | Stansbury v. California (Nuts & Bolts)

When police bring someone in for questioning as a witness, but their suspicions start to change, does that automatically make the person “in custody” for Miranda purposes? In this Nuts & Bolts edition of Cuffs & Case Law, we break down Stansbury v. California, a case involving a man who voluntarily went to the police station as a potential witness to a murder. During the interview, police began to suspect that he may have been involved. So does the fact that the investigation has focused on someone trigger Miranda? The Supreme Court said no. We break down what actually matters when determining whether someone is in custody, why an officer's undisclosed suspicions don't control the analysis, and what changes when those suspicions are communicated to the person being questioned. Case: Stansbury v. California (1994) We're cops, not attorneys. We read the case law and talk through what it means for real-world policing. We read case law so you don't have to. #StansburyvCalifornia #Miranda #Custody #FourthAmendment #PoliceTraining #CaseLaw #LawEnforcement #CuffsAndCaseLaw