Opinion ID: 2521542
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Miranda Custody Determinations

Text: Before the special statutory protections of section 19-2-511(1) and Miranda safeguards can apply, a court must make the predicate determination of whether the juvenile was in custody and being interrogated. See generally In re R.A., 937 P.2d 731, 737 (Colo.1997). The objective test for establishing custody is whether a reasonable person in the suspect's position would consider himself significantly deprived of his liberty. Jones v. People, 711 P.2d 1270, 1275 (Colo. 1986); People v. Black, 698 P.2d 766, 768 (Colo.1985); People v. Thiret, 685 P.2d 193, 203 (Colo.1984). [3] The reasonable person standard is superior to a subjective test because it is not `solely dependent either on the self-serving declarations of the police officers or the defendant.' Matheny, 46 P.3d at 465 (quoting Berkemer v. McCarty, 468 U.S. 420, 442 n. 35, 104 S.Ct. 3138, 82 L.Ed.2d 317 (1984)). In deciding whether a reasonable person in the suspect's position would believe himself to be deprived of his freedom of action, a court must consider the totality of the circumstances under which an interrogation was conducted. Jones, 711 P.2d at 1275. Factors a court should evaluate include: the time, place and purpose of the encounter; the persons present during the interrogation; the words spoken by the officer to the defendant; the officer's tone of voice and general demeanor; the length and mood of the interrogation; whether any limitation of movement or other form of restraint was placed on the defendant during the interrogation; the officer's response to any questions asked by the defendant; whether directions were given to the defendant during the interrogation; and the defendant's verbal or nonverbal response to such directions. Id. at 1275-76. Additionally, a court may consider other factors when weighing the totality of the circumstances in cases involving juveniles. The age of the juvenile is a factor to be considered by the court, though it will not constitute the determinative factor in a finding of custody. In re J.C., 844 P.2d at 1190. [4] Also, a court may consider whether the parents were present or had knowledge of the interrogation. Id. at 1189. D.