What two conditions must exist for Miranda warnings to be required during interrogation?

• A. Custody and interrogation by police
• B. Probable cause and arrest
• C. Consent and voluntariness
• D. Reasonable suspicion and stop

Answer: (A)

Miranda warnings apply only when a person is in custody and being interrogated by police. Custody means a reasonable person wouldn’t feel free to leave—like being formally arrested or restrained to the degree of an arrest. Interrogation covers direct questions or other police actions likely to elicit an incriminating response.

If both conditions are present, officers must warn about the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney before continuing. If the person isn’t in custody or isn’t being interrogated, the warnings aren’t required. For example, routine questions when a person isn’t detained, or questioning by a private individual, don’t trigger Miranda.

The other options mix unrelated concepts: probable cause and arrest describe why police can Detain or arrest, not when warnings are required; consent and voluntariness relate to waiving rights, not the existence of the warnings themselves; reasonable suspicion and stops describe seizures that aren’t custodial interrogation.