Created on December 15, 1791, the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution is a part of the United States Bill of Rights. This amendment establishes a number of legal rights that apply to both civil and criminal proceedings. It contains several clauses: It guarantees the right to a grand jury. It forbids double jeopardy (being tried again for the same crime after an acquittal). It protects a person against self-incrimination (being a witness against himself). This is often called "Pleading the Fifth". The Fifth Amendment requires due process in any case where a citizen may be deprived of "life, liberty, or property". Any time the government takes private property for public use, the owner must be compensated. 