DHS Can’t Compel You Under Threat of Criminal Penalty to Talk to Them

Video Transcribed: Do you have the right to remain silent when dealing with DHS in Oklahoma? My name is Brian L. Jackson. I’m an Oklahoma father’s rights attorney with Dads.law, where dads are not disposable. I want to talk about your fifth amendment rights and dealing with DHS.

Now to start with, DHS can’t compel you under threat of criminal penalty to talk to them. So as a practical matter, you do, in a sense, have a right to remain silent. The devil’s in the details though, guys.

While you can’t be criminally punished for refusing to cooperate with DHS or refusing to talk to them, it can nevertheless lead to other negative legal consequences. A big one, being that if you tell DHS to piss off, they’re probably going to go talk to a DA about taking your child away.

This will go into a report and it will be a negative mark against you for failing to cooperate. So although you do absolutely have a right to remain silent when you’re dealing with DHS, this is a nuanced question that you should consider carefully, which is why, if you are dealing with DHS, you really need to get a good lawyer. One place you can find good representation is Dads.law, where dads are not disposable, and guys, we’ll help you out. Thanks.