Civil liberties, or personal freedoms, are basic rights that are granted to citizens of countries through national legislation or statutes passed by a legislative body. Common civil liberties include: freedom of movement within a nation, freedom of speech, freedom of religious beliefs and political persuasions, as well as freedom from arbitrary arrest (where there is no evidence linking an individual to a crime).

One civil liberty that many people are unaware of is freedom from self-incrimination. The fifth amendment to the Constitution protects the criminally accused from forced self-incrimination. If you ever find yourself in the process of interrogation for criminal wrongdoing be aware that police officers can’t force you to implicate yourself in a crime, no matter how much evidence they tell you that they have. The Fifth Amendment requires indictment by a grand jury of the accused peers to formally charge a person of a serious crime. In 1961 a man was arrested on charges of rape. He admitted his guilt in the interrogation process. He wasn’t made aware of his legal right to representation from a lawyer. Consequently, Miranda won an appeal case which judged that it had been unlawful for him to not have been read his rights. When a person is arrested now they are read the ‘Miranda Warnings’. Furthermore, you are also fully entitled to seek legal advice, from an injury attorney in CT, in the event of personal injury. It is important that you are aware of your legal entitlements.

Another civil liberty which is not as widely recognized, compared to more obvious ones, is the right to use the press (media) to convey your opinion on a matter or information about something. This personal freedom, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution, gives every citizen the right to publish information (whether it be in books, newspapers, articles or magazines) without government intervention. Many people are under the misconception that the government have the legal ability to censor information that has been distributed by a person or organization that they do not agree with, this is not the case. If what you are publishing does not violate any existing laws (such as defaming a person through releasing private information that you had no right to release to the public) you are free to express your opinions in any media outlet available to you.

Our final civil liberty that you might not have known you are entitled to is the right to not be subject to unusual punishment. This personal freedom protects you from physical, sexual and psychological harm. It also ensures that you will always have access to acceptable prison conditions, should you ever be incarcerated. The Eighth Amendment made to the Constitution of the United States gives you the right to humane prison conditions, although does not exempt you from ‘harsh conditions’. You are fully within your rights to challenge prison conditions, should you ever have the need to.