February 24, 2025 | Criminal Law
Getting arrested is an incredibly stressful event. Many people are worried about losing their jobs, their housing, and their freedom after being arrested. While most people’s brains are moving a mile a minute after an arrest, it is important to remain calm. If you have never been under arrest before, you may be wondering what happens next and what you should do. Read on to learn more about the best steps to take after getting arrested.
Process After Being Arrested
Getting arrested is usually the beginning of the criminal court process. Most people who are placed under arrest are charged with a crime. However, long before they get to criminal court, they will undergo the booking process.
Booking is the administrative process that happens after someone is arrested. During booking, the jail staff will collect identifying information, take an arrestee’s personal belongings, and register them in the jail. This often includes:
- Fingerprinting
- A full body search
- Surrendering personal belongings
- Changing into a jail uniform
- Being assigned a housing unit or cell
- A mugshot
- Checking for other outstanding warrants
Many people wonder when they will get a chance to call someone after being arrested. Usually, this happens after the booking process is completed. After booking, a person will also undergo a bond assessment with pretrial services. The pretrial services department will conduct a risk assessment and decide whether or not to recommend a person for bond. The risk assessment looks at factors such as:
- The types of charges
- Prior criminal history
- The defendant’s stability in the community
- Employment status
- Likelihood of appearing in court
- Risk of future crimes if released
If the pretrial services officer decides that someone is not a risk to the community or a risk of flight, they may be recommended for a bond. If pretrial doesn’t recommend someone for a bond, that doesn’t mean that they can’t get it. A lawyer can still file a bond motion and advocate for release at the arraignment or subsequent bond motion.
Your Right to Remain Silent
After being arrested, it is tempting to talk about your case. You will want to try to convince anyone who listens that there was a mistake or that you are not guilty. However, you should remember to remain silent. Now is not the time to discuss your case. The deputies in the jail are not your friends or advocates. They will not hesitate to share your statements with the prosecutors or investigators in your case. Even statements that you think may not be incriminating can be used against you.
You should also remember not to talk to anyone about your case on the jail phones. This includes your friends and family. The jail phones are recorded, and prosecutors and police regularly listen. Anything that you say about your case can be used against you. Furthermore, even if you are discussing helpful evidence, it may give the prosecutor a leg up in your case.
Contact the Lexington Criminal Defense Attorneys at Suhre & Associates DUI and Criminal Defense Lawyers For Help Today
The most important thing that you can do after being arrested is to hire a defense attorney. You should call a lawyer as soon as you are able to get to the phone. A defense lawyer can begin working on your case immediately after your arrest. They can review pretrial release recommendations and make arrangements to appear at your arraignment. Their work could give you a jump start on getting a bond. Most importantly, a defense attorney will work to protect your due process rights.
By the time you are arrested, you should assume that the police have already begun to collect evidence against you. This is especially true if you were arrested on a warrant. You shouldn’t waste time thinking about whether or not to hire a lawyer. Wasting time can be the difference between getting convicted or walking away free and clear of convictions.
For more information, contact the criminal defense attorneys at Suhre & Associates DUI and Criminal Defense Lawyers. Give us a call today at (859) 569-4014 or visit us at our Lexington law office.
Suhre & Associates DUI and Criminal Defense Lawyers – Lexington
333 West Vine Street #212
Lexington, KY 40507
