Getting arrested is a frightening thing. While you may think it is something that could never happen to you, there is no telling what type of legal situation you could find yourself dealing with in the future. Because things can happen and you can find yourself arrested and in jail at some point in your lifetime, it is important to know the proper steps to take when you are in such a serious situation. If you fail to make the right decisions, you could end up spending a lot of time behind bars, which is the last thing anyone would truly want to do.
Avoid Saying Too Much
When you are arrested, you have the right to avoid having any kind of conversation with the officer. Even if you are in the back of the police officer's vehicle for a lengthy period while being transferred from your current location to the precinct, you should still remain silent. You may think that pleading your case or explaining yourself in some way would help your situation, but it can make things a lot worse. If you say the wrong thing, the information could be twisted around and used against you. Even if you know you are not guilty of the charges made against you, stay silent because you will have your time to talk later when you meet with a lawyer.
Contact a Bail Bondsman
After taking you down to the county jail and booking you, a judge will set bail. The purpose of bail is to allow individuals to go home while awaiting trial instead of spending months or even years behind bars. The amount of bail that is expected of you to pay will depend on your criminal record and the charges made against you. If the charges are quite serious, you can expect to have a higher bail amount. Once the judge sets bail, you should get in contact with a bail bond agent.
Most people simply do not have thousands of dollars available to post bail. However, you would not want to get stuck behind bars for such a long time because going to trial often takes a while. It is far better to focus on the case from home where you would feel most comfortable. It is for that exact reason that there are bail bondsmen available. The bail bondsman would post bail on your behalf, making sure that you agree to show up for any of the future court dates you will have. You would likely be expected to pay a small percentage of the bail total. Most bail bondsmen are willing to accept 10 percent of your total bail amount. If that were the case and your bail was set at $10,000, you would only need to pay the bail bondsman $1,000.
Waste No Time Finding a Lawyer
Once you get out on bail, the very first thing you should do is start the search for a lawyer. You are likely going to want to find an experienced criminal defense lawyer. You should consult with several different legal professionals to see who you happen to mesh with the most. When you have a good vibe for a specific lawyer, it is a good idea to choose that legal professional to assist you because then you will feel comfortable explaining yourself and going over the situation. If you do not hire a lawyer, you could end up in a bad situation where you will eventually need to go to prison. While a lawyer cannot guarantee to get all charges dropped, your lawyer will fight endlessly to achieve a better outcome for you.
If you ever end up in a situation where you are arrested and need to post bail to get yourself out of jail, remain silent, contact a bail bondsman to help you post bail, and then immediately search for a good lawyer. Knowing what to do in a situation like this could prevent a lot of stress in the future.
Share17 September 2019
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