What does it mean for you?
If you've ever watched one of the popular television crime dramas, you've probably heard the line... "I refuse to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate me." The witness is invoking his fifth amendment rights, which protects him from self-incrimination. The fifth amendment provides other safeguards against random government actions: in a federal crime, you cannot be prosecuted wihout a preliminary grand jury indictment; you can be tried only once for a specified crime; you cannot be retried once you have been acquitted; the government cannot take away your private property unless it is needed for the public good, (and they must pay you a fair price).
To see a list of other famous people who used their fifth amendment rights, click here.
