Searches Seizures Arrests And Confessions

Most of us value privacy. Yet many times there is no choice except to invade the privacy of an individual. A murderer has to he jailed. If there are good reasons for believing important evidence of guilt is in his house, a suspect's right of privacy may have to bow to the People's need to search. The rules we will examine attempt to trace when privacy must give way to the government's need to intrude, and also when the rights of privacy are permitted to stand. This process basically involves weighing the police officer's reasons and balancing them against the degree of intrusion. When the officer has enough reason to arrest a person or to make a search, we say he has probable cause. We must keep in mind that it is impossible to determine probable cause by some scientific test. Rather, evidence must be presented in a court where a judge evaluates the case and makes a ruling. Judges have varying views and attitudes and it is difficult to predict whether it will be valid when presented to a judge. The lessons for a police officer are apparent. He must be careful about evaluating his probable cause. He can best achieve a favorable judicial ruling on the validity of his arrest or search by familiarizing himself with the rules so as to build the strongest possible case.

This Encyclopedia on American history and law is the first devoted to examining the issues of civil liberties and their relevance to major current events while providing a historical context and a philosophical discussion of the evolution of civil liberties. Coverage includes the traditional civil liberties: freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition. In addition, it also covers concerns such as privacy, the rights of the accused, and national security. Alphabetically organized for ease of access, the articles range in length from 250 words for a brief biography to 5,000 words for in-depth analyses. Entries are organized around the following themes: organizations and government bodies legislation and legislative action, statutes, and acts historical overviews biographies cases themes, issues, concepts, and events. The Encyclopedia of American Civil Liberties is an essential reference for students and researchers as well as for the general reader to help better understand the world we live in today.