Teens With the Fourth and Fifth Amendment

Teens in America are often unaware of their amendments and their rights. Many teens also are not fully clear on their rights. Most teens also do not know that their rights are restricted in many places. In school, teen’s rights are restricted to a certain extent.  If you are on school grounds, you or your car, can be searched if school officials suspect any criminal activity . School officials still need to have a good reason to search you; They cannot just go around searching people because somebody looks suspicious. It is your right as an American citizen to remain silent when questioned, and to not be searched without consent or warrant .

Teenagers should have less restrictions on their rights on school grounds. It is in the constitution for a reason. It is the rights of the people that everybody should have in life. In any other place in America, your rights are the same anywhere else. School officials should need a search warrant to search students. Teens should need a search warrant to be searched on school grounds, unless it is endangering to rest of the student body. If there are guns involved, the school officials can still search you if they have a reasonable excuse to search you for any deadly weapons. To receive a warrant, you must be caught red handed, or have a fair amount of complaints that you have illegal substances. In the case of New Jersey v. T.L.O (1985) when two teenagers were caught smoking weed by school officials. Since she was caught red handed, they had a very good reason to search the student.   

Many students still are unclear on the fifth amendment. The amendment was placed because the founding fathers did not want the police forcing people to answer their questions. If the police ask you a question, no matter what they say, you do not have to respond. You can remain silent the entire time. If you were to do something illegal and was caught, the police will arrest you. Before or while you are arrested, the police have to read you what is called your Miranda rights. In school, teens should be read these rights before they are questioned about any serious incidents that happens in school, that may result in them being arrested. This will also prepare the teens for the future if they were to be in any predicament that involved law enforcement. In the case of J.D.B. v. North Carolina (2011) a student was interrogated by the police. The school accused him of stealing camera equipment and that he was caught on camera. After the teen was arrested, he was not read his miranda rights. If the police arrest you for any reason, if they do not read your rights to you, they will let you go. Many students are arrested for different reasons in every day in America. Charges should always be dropped if their rights are not read to them.