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Title 10 — Armed ForcesRelease 119-73

§831 Art. 31. Compulsory self-incrimination prohibited

Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle A— - General Military Law › Part PART II— - PERSONNEL › Chapter CHAPTER 47— - UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER VI— - PRE-TRIAL PROCEDURE › § 831

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

No one under military law may force a person to say things that make them look guilty or answer questions that could do that. Before questioning someone who is accused or suspected, the questioner must tell them what the accusation is, tell them they don’t have to talk, and warn that anything they say may be used at a court-martial. Irrelevant or degrading statements, or statements gotten by force, illegal pressure, or improper promises, cannot be used as evidence.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §831

Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)No person subject to this chapter may compel any person to incriminate himself or to answer any question the answer to which may tend to incriminate him.
(b)No person subject to this chapter may interrogate, or request any statement from, an accused or a person suspected of an offense without first informing him of the nature of the accusation and advising him that he does not have to make any statement regarding the offense of which he is accused or suspected and that any statement made by him may be used as evidence against him in a trial by court-martial.
(c)No person subject to this chapter may compel any person to make a statement or produce evidence before any military tribunal if the statement or evidence is not material to the issue and may tend to degrade him.
(d)No statement obtained from any person in violation of this article, or through the use of coercion, unlawful influence, or unlawful inducement may be received in evidence against him in a trial by court-martial.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised sectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 831(a)831(b)50:602(a).50:602(b).May 5, 1950, ch. 169, § 1 (Art 31), 64 Stat. 118. 831(c)50:602(c). 831(d)50:602(d). The word “may” is substituted for the word “shall” throughout the revised section.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 831

Title 10 — Armed Forces

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73