What Happens When You’re Taken to Jail?
If you’re taken to jail, the first thing that you might be concerned about is how to get out of it fast. However, there’s a process involved before that happens. Everyone, including law-abiding citizens, must understand what happens when the police officer arrest somebody for the sake of information.
There are three major stages when this happens. The first stage is the arrest, where in the police officer will take the person into custody. The next step is the booking process, wherein the police formally document the situation. The last is the bail and it’s where the accused has a shot of getting out of jail. Here are the three steps elaborately defined.
- Arrest
If you’re arrested, then you’ll be taken into the custody of the police and you’re technically no longer free. You might have been handcuffed and your rights have been read. There are such things as legal arrest and unlawful arrest. It’s upon the police officer to legally arrest a person of a crime.
- Booking
Booking pertains to the administrative process of collecting the accused’s personal information, recording evidence, and documenting all statements and observations about the crime. It is also at this stage when the suspect is fingerprinted and photographed. The police will also take the personal property of the accused of storage until they are released. They may put him in a holding cell and do a background check on him or her in the process.
- Bail hearing
The last part, which is the bail hearing, is where the accused tries to avoid jail altogether. Here, he will be asked to pay a certain amount or post a bond for it so he can go out free. Even so, he still has to face all the charges against him. Part of the bail conditions is for the accused to appear in court during every hearing.
If it’s a minor crime, the standard bail schedule will determine how much bail has to be posted. For all other crimes not listed in the schedule, it will be the judge who will decide how much the bail is going to be. The judge may also decide on a lot of other factors, which include waiving the bail and releasing the suspect out of his own incognizance.
Where to Get Help
For anybody who is accused, the best way to handle the problem is to seek help from an attorney. They know all these legal processes and they will effectively represent you in court. Some lawyers also know of a Stamford bail bondsman who can help you post bail without having to pay for a lot of money.
A bail bond is a guarantee indicating that you’re willing to pay for the bail in the full amount and that you are willing to show up for all court proceedings. The monetary agreement is between you and the bail bond company now, and not you and the court. But the same rule generally remains. You have to appear before the court and face all your charges to have a chance of getting back to your old life after the ordeal.
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