Court: Cops Can't Keep Defense Lawyers At Jailhouse Door
Cheers to the Indiana Supreme Court for this decision. It ought to be the law everywhere:
Criminal investigators can't keep a lawyer waiting at the jailhouse door while his or her client is inside being questioned by police.
That's the unmistakable command given Wednesday by the Indiana Supreme Court, which unanimously ruled that a detained person must be told immediately if a lawyer is waiting to see that suspect.
The decision means police officers can't extract a confession from a suspect while his lawyer is waiting at the front desk.
This ruling is a victory for criminal suspects and defense attorneys in Indiana, who say it's not uncommon for police to keep the two separated while investigators try to get the suspect to waive the right to speak with a lawyer.
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