Opinion ID: 1852436
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Whether the trial court erred in permitting the introduction of Payton's statement when he had been denied his Miranda warnings.

Text: ¶ 158. While this Court has held several times that there is no requirement that a defendant's confession be written and signed, to properly ensure a citizen's right against self-incrimination, we must offer some sort of protection to the accused. Certainly in today's age when the technology is so inexpensive and readily available, law enforcement officials should be required to produce some type of video or audio recording of an in-house interrogation. ¶ 159. In Taylor v. State, 789 So.2d 787, 793 (Miss.2001), I concurred with an opinion where this Court held that it was not necessary to have a written and signed confession. However, in that case, law enforcement officials videotaped the interrogation, thus creating an independent source to verify the voluntariness of the confession. See Id. at 795-96. ¶ 160. The right against self-incrimination, much like the presumption of innocence is an essential component to the American system of criminal justice. Requiring an audio or video recording of an in-house interrogation would be such a small cost for an enormous benefit.