What To Do If Your Child Is Arrested
It’s a call no parent wants to receive. Your child was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and is now detained in jail. While the natural first reaction is panic and worry about your loved one’s safety, you shouldn’t spend too much time fretting. Instead, focus on what you need to do to get your child out of jail and eventually out of the legal system. These three crucial steps can help get your offspring’s life back on track.
Hire a Lawyer
Before your son or daughter is interviewed by the police, you need to make sure a competent lawyer is retained and present. Everybody has the right to legal representation, and having a lawyer in the interview room helps make sure your child doesn’t say something incriminating. If you don’t have a personal connection to a lawyer, you can do an internet search or contact a local legal association for a recommendation.
Arrange Bail
Jail is a scary place, so you want to learn how to bail someone out of jail Philadelphia PA as quickly as possible. There will be a preliminary hearing in which a judge sets the bail amount needed for release from jail. If you are unable to pay the full amount on your own, contact a bail bondsman who will be able to assist you with the payment for a fee.
Attend All Follow-Up Hearings
Unless charges are dismissed when your child is first in front of a judge, there will be follow-up hearings and meetings he or she will be required to attend. Stay in contact with your lawyer and be ready to meet with the attorney to prepare your child’s defense. Remember, if your son or daughter doesn’t show up in court, your child can be immediately arrested again and sent back to jail without the possibility of bail.
Interacting with law enforcement and the court system is not for the faint-hearted. Jail is an intimidating place that any person rightly wants to avoid. If your child ever gets on the wrong side of the law and winds up in jail, these suggestions can help the legal process move more smoothly.
The most important thing to do is follow all instructions from your lawyer, the judge and the police to keep your son or daughter out of prison. Hopefully, the charges will be dismissed, and your child can go on to a successful life with the lessons gained from this traumatic experience.