Hivemind: What if you say you don't understand your Miranda rights?
Hivemind, I've got a question for you legal eagles.
Sometimes, when people get arrested, the police ask them if they understand their so-called "Miranda rights." I gather the rights to be understood involve the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney, etc.
At least, this is what happens on TV and what is described in some FindLaw bulletins I get for free. (FAIK, this could be an elaborate ruse perpetuated by product placement officials in the DOJ who pay TV producers to ensure that fictitious representations of our rights dominate the mainstream meida...)
Anwyay, TV characters invariably say they understand, or else the camera cuts away before they're shown to say anything.
So, what hapens if an arrestee insists that they don't understand their rights? Presumably it's legally important for the cops to establish that the person being placed under arrest understands their legal rights in order to question them admissibly, etc. Otherwise they wouldn't have to ask, right?
What if you do understand your Miranda rights (or assume you do)--is there any advantage in insisting that you don't?
Rest assured, this is an idle question.