Other issues included in the analysis were the effects of silence on the decision to charge or release suspects and the effects of silence on the conviction of charged suspects. The findings showed that, while the right to silence was invoked in about 16 percent of the cases, it had little effect on the prosecution or conviction of suspects. Suspects who used silence were more likely to be charged than those who did not exercise their right, possibly because police officers equated the use of silence with guilt. Suspects who had earlier used their right to silence were more likely to plead guilty at the beginning of their trial than suspects who had not used their right. 9 tables and 10 references