You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law, you have the right to an attorney, if you can’t afford one, an attorney (an assistant public defender) will be appointed to you. As a side note, most members of the public think that public defenders are not real lawyers. Many of them are great lawyers, but they have a lot of cases. I’m a former Palm Beach assistant public defender.

No. The police don’t have to read you your Miranda rights. The only time the police should is if you are in custody (not free to leave) and they’re interrogating you (asking you questions designed to illicit an incriminating response). If they don’t, and those circumstances are present, then any statements you make should be thrown out of court. That’s the remedy – suppression of your statements.

Probably not unless your statements are all the evidence the police have against you. Generally, your statements will be suppressed (won’t be allowed at trial), but the state will continue to prosecute you without your statements.

No. Always ask for a lawyer before talking with police. Never volunteer any information even if you are innocent. There are many innocent people in prison. Some of them have been released after serving years in prison because DNA evidence exonerated them.

No, not necessarily. The officer is not the one who charges people with crimes. It is the State Attorney’s office or the United States Attorney’s Office. The officer doesn’t sentence defendants either, that’s the province of the trial judge. Police lie to defendants all the time to get confessions and guess what?…it’s legal for cops to lie.