Chances are, it’s late at night, you might have been sleeping and the phone rings. On the other end is possibly a representative from a local jail who tells you that your close friend or relative has been accused of or arrested for a crime they might have committed. In that moment, you’ll feel a surge of emotions. Some confusion, some anger, some disappointment, but most of all urgency. You know that you have a brief window of opportunity to act, but you don’t know what to do. Hopefully, this article will give you the information you need to make your next move and help your loved one as much as possible.
Support:
Chances are your friend or family member is just as scared as you are, and probably more so. The first thing you need to do is just talk to them and reassure them in any way you can that you will find the help they need to get through this hardship. Be sure to remind them that they have a right to an attorney and that thy should ask for one before talking to any investigators.
Contact the Jail:
If you know which jail your relative is in, give the jail a call and set up a time to talk your friend or family member. This will go a long way in helping them stay calm and give them some hope. If this was a simpler infraction, like a minor offense, then ask the jail what time they will be released so you can be sure to arrive and pick them up at that time.
Offer Assistance:
It might also help to let them know that you can assist in looking after their spouse and children. Whether that be by helping financially, or by providing meals, or even by offering living quarters. Any way that you can offer assistance to their household is sure to take some stress of their shoulders and allow them to focus on their case.
Purchase a Bail Bond:
We’ve covered these more in depth in an earlier post, but a bail bond is promise to the courts that the detained individual will arrive to their court date. Bail bonds range in price depending on the crime or offense and the county the person is detained in. But this would help them tremendously and allow them to get their house in order before their court date.
We hope this article helped. Watching someone go through a time like this can be tough. We at the Sodhi Law Group understand the trouble that he or she might be going through and would love to offer our services. If you think your friend or family member might benefit from our legal assistance, then please have them reach out to us at (209) 900-8200 fill out our Webform and someone from our Modesto legal office will reach out shortly. We are here to help them Emerge Victorious.