# ask the person who spent friday and saturday morrning in a  cell in a britiish police station

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-spent-friday-and-saturday-morrning-in-a-cell-in-a-britiish-police-station/625571>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [June 18, 2012, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-spent-friday-and-saturday-morrning-in-a-cell-in-a-britiish-police-station/625571 "2012-06-18T21:20:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 25

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**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-spent-friday-and-saturday-morrning-in-a-cell-in-a-britiish-police-station/625571/25 "2012-06-19T16:34:49Z")

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> [@Toucanna](#):
>
> Totally serious question: in addition to the 3 daily meals, were you offered afternoon tea?

Not afternoon tea in the Ritz sense but an afternoon cup of tea - sure! But I could have tea any time I liked day or night by pressing the call button.

> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#):
>
> In the USA, we are read/shown our Miranda rights if we are arrested - You have the right to remain silent, etc. Is there an equivalent in Britain?  
> -D/a

Yes but it is for anyone under caution, not just being arrested. It is slightly different however in that while there is an absolute right to remain silent, the court is at liberty to make an adverse inference if you bring up a defence (in court) that you could have brought up at the time.

Therefore the wording of the caution is as follows:

> [@Caution](#):
>
> You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.

> [@kayaker](#):
>
> Did they take your shoelaces? If not, we’re you tempted? Did you have time to make a shiv?

I was wearing slip ons. I had plenty of time to make a shiv if I had any of the materials or had a clue how to do so.

Edit: I just remembered I had to leave the shoes outside the cell in any case.

> [@Little\_Nemo](#):
>
> It may not have been flushable from inside the cell. Some prisoners will hide contraband in the toilet and then flush it away if the guards come in to do an unexpected cell search. Or some prisoners will stuff clothing inside the toilet and try to flush it down to jam up the toilet and flood the cell. So the flush control is placed outside the cell.

Makes sense; thanks.

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