Being arrested for a crime represents one of the most challenging experiences a person can face in the course of a lifetime. There are certain specific steps a person must take in order to protect his or her rights and interests upon being arrested.
Make No Statement to Law Enforcement
In the aftermath of an arrest, a person is not legally required to make any statement to law enforcement. Indeed, in many instances a person is entitled to legal representation before much of anything else occurs in the course of a criminal prosecution.
Law enforcement officials have a tendency to advise a recently arrested person that he or she will make “things easier” by answering questions. In the grand scheme of the criminal justice system, this really is not an accurate statement. Time after time people make statements to law enforcement upon being arrested by waiving their right to counsel in the process only to regret doing so as the prosecution progresses.
Connect with a Reliable Bail Bonds Service
In many cases when a person is arrested, that individual is held in custody pending the posting of bail or a surety bond. (On some occasions an arrested person is permitted to be released on his or her own recognizance. This means that an individual doesn’t actually have to provide any cash or obtain a bail bond in order obtain a release from jail.)
A reputable bail bonds service is able to assist a person in posting a bond quickly. Typically, a person will have to come up with some cash in order to obtain a bail bond. For example, a person may need to come up with cash in the amount of 10 or 15 percent of the entire bond set by the court. Once a jailed person arranges for this amount of money to be provided to a bail bond service, a representative of that service will post the bond in full.
Most bail bond services are available around the clock to assist an arrested person in posting bond to gain release from jail. The goal is to aid a person in getting released as quickly as possible and return back with his or her family.
Retain an Experienced Criminal Defense Attorney
Another fundamental step that a person needs to take following an arrest in order to protect legal rights and interests is retaining a qualified, experienced criminal defense attorney. Some individuals feel that they do not have to rush to retain counsel. In fact, criminal proceedings move at a quick clip. For this reason, after making arrangement with a bail bonds service, a person should waste no time retaining an attorney following an arrest.
In this day and age, there are criminal defense attorneys that focus their practices on representing clients charged with specific types of crimes. For example, there are criminal defense attorneys that represent people charged with drug related crimes while others represent individuals charged with while collar crimes. The typical criminal defense attorney does not charge a fee for an initial consultation in order to discuss a person’s case.
John Keefe is an avid blogger and professional bail bondsman in Oklahoma City, OK. John is passionate about sharing information online through his blogs and provides OKC bail bonds services to his local community.
