Miranda Rights For Spanish-Speakers Must Be Correctly Translated, Court Rules

Not only must police give Miranda warnings in Spanish for those who need it, they are now required to make sure the translations are accurate. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled Monday that Miranda rights given to Spanish-speaking suspects must be in correct alignment with its English counterparts. The court overturned a sentence for marijuana bestowed upon Jeronimo Bello-Rosales after he said he heard his rights in English, but could not understand the version he was given in Spanish, the Huffington Post reported.

One of the problems with the way his rights were delivered is that the police officer told him he was able to get an attorney "libre," Fox News Latino reported. What the officer meant to say was "free." In Spanish, free of charge is translated to "gratis." "Libre" means freedom of action or to receive freedom. Bello-Rosales was convicted based on statements he made during an interrogation, which courts later ruled could not legally count against him as he did not understand his rights.

"Because the warnings administered to Botello did not reasonably convey his right to appointed counsel as required by Miranda, his subsequent statements may not be admitted as evidence against him," the court's decision said.