Whether to call a bail bondsmen or a lawyer after arrest can be a difficult decision. Depending on the nature and time of arrest will help determine an intelligent course of action.
The five things that should influence a decision are 1) the charges, 2) time of arrest, 3) bail amount, 4) employment and family, and 5) ability to pay. It sounds like a lot to think about when a loved one is in jail, and an expedited release is more than likely desirable, so this quick article aims to break it down for you in a simple, easy-to-read way.
Example #1
You were arrested in the middle of the night and the bail is set reasonably low; if you have to work early the next day and get your kids to school, calling your attorney right away might not be the most reasonable option. If you can afford to do so, calling a bail bondsmen to come get you out is probably the most feasible option to keep you going until your court date. Waiting to call your attorney to discuss the case–in this situation–is probably okay here.
Example #2
You were arrested late on a Friday night and Monday is a holiday. The bail amount is set higher than your budget allows and you would like to seek a bail reduction. Your lawyer can ask for a bail hearing to ask the judge to reduce your bail, but this also means you might have to sit in jail until Monday or Tuesday, depending if the court follows a holiday schedule. Now you are forced to make a decision of whether to wait or not and risk the judge denying a lower bail. However, if you are unemployed or unable to pay for whatever reason, waiting might be your best option; thus, it is probably best in this scenario to use that phone call to speak with your attorney.
Example #3
You are accused of committing a serious crime where the bail amount is strenuously high. After mentally reviewing your bank account you realize you do not have anything close to posting the amount required by the court. However, you do have enough to hire an attorney. Now it comes down to whether you want to argue for temporary freedom or retain a good attorney to fight the charges. In this case, opting to keep the attorney is probably the better decision. Think about like this: you can either 1) get out of jail a few days early and risk spending more time in jail because the court appointed attorney could not spend much time on your case, or 2) tough it out for a few days and be able to retain the attorney you want handling your case.
The choice between calling a bail bondsmen and an attorney is ultimately your choice. A little foreseeability can go a long away when deciding what to do after arrest, and as usual, it’s always best to prepare well ahead of time.
Kyle Carter is an avid blogger and professional bail bondsman with C&K OKC Bail Bonds in Oklahoma City. Kyle is passionate about sharing information online through his blogs, on youtube, and provides local bail bonds services in OKC to the local community.
