The Fifth Amendment

No person shall… be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law…

This Amendment, along with the 6th Amendment, ensures that exercise of the government’s most coercive arm, the criminal justice system, is based on fundamental fairness in the administration of justice. These criminal procedure rights are safeguarded from state and local governmental abuses by incorporation into the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause. Wrongful Conviction/Imprisonment