Find Court Cases > Illinois v. Perkins

Illinois v. Perkins

Case Date: 02/20/1990
Docket No: none

Facts of the Case 

While being held in jail, Perkins freely confessed to committing a murder to an undercover police officer who was posing as another inmate.

Question 

Did the undercover police officer violate the accused's Miranda rights as protected by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments?

Argument Illinois v. Perkins - Oral ArgumentFull Transcript Text  Download MP3 Conclusion  Decision: 8 votes for Illinois, 1 vote(s) against Legal provision: Miranda Warnings

The Court held that conversations between suspects and undercover officers are not afforded Miranda protection since they are not done in a "police-dominated atmosphere" where compulsion to confess is present. "It is the premise of Miranda that the danger of coercion results from the interaction of custody and official interrogation," argued Justice Kennedy. There was no danger of coercion in this case.