How did Oregon v. Mathiason define police custody for Miranda purposes?

In Oregon v. Mathiason (1977), the Supreme Court defined "custody" for the purposes of Miranda warnings by focusing on whether a suspect is formally arrested or otherwise deprived of their freedom of action in a significant way.

In this case, the court held that a suspect who voluntarily complies with a police request to meet at a station is not necessarily "in custody." Because the individual had not been formally arrested, the court reasoned that the suspect should have felt free to leave the station without answering the officer's questions. Consequently, the absence of a formal arrest or a comparable restriction on the suspect's liberty meant the interrogation did not trigger the requirement for Miranda protections under the Fifth Amendment.1