Rochin v. California

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Rochin v. California CRIJ 2323-1002 Temple College Abstract Rochin v. California The Fourth Amendment is blunt when it comes to warrants: “ and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized (Worrall, p. 100).” The seizing of evidence is often a result of arrests and searches. The Supreme Court has been especially restrictive with regard to bodily intrusions into the human body (Worral, p. 129), in the case of Richard Antonio Rochin, it all took place on July 1, 1949, when three Los Angeles officers barged into the residence of Rochin without a search warrant, because they had word that Mr. Rochin was selling narcotics. Upon entering the bedroom where Rochin was located in the home, the officers noticed two capsules on the night stand, when Rochin was asked “Whose stuff is this?” he immediately swallowed the capsules. One of the three officers forcibly tried to obtain the capsules out of Rochin's mouth, but failed at the attempt; so they transported Richard Antonio Rochin to the local hospital where he was strapped down, and had his stomach pumped against his will; until he regurgitated the capsules. The officers then processed the capsules and found them to be morphine. Upon their findings the officers submitted the capsules as evidence in Rochin's case, where he was found guilty of violating Claifornia's Health and Safety Code of having an unlawful posession of morphine. Now the issue arises can law enforcement forcibly extract evidence from one's body? Rochin was found guilty, and later appealed his case stating that his rights were protected under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitutuion. He argued that forced stomach pumping was self incrimination and that the evidence should have been inadmissable in

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