Crime and Punishment in America Biographies | Ernest Miranda Biography

Born March 9, 1940 (Mesa, Arizona)

Died January 31, 1976 (Phoenix, Arizona)

Robber, rapist, murderer

Ernesto Miranda was a career criminal whose name became familiar to every American following a Supreme Court decision that created what became known as the Miranda Rights. Miranda's conviction in an Arizona court in 1963 would be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1966. In Miranda v. Arizona the Court determined Miranda's Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination had been violated during a police interrogation. This Court decision was one of several important rulings identifying legal safeguards for defendants in the criminal justice system.