For the homeless charged with petty theft to gate crashers at a Denver Nuggets game to a Hollywood starlet who’s drunk and disorderly, getting arrested and having to come up with Denver Bail Bonds is never a pleasant experience. Let’s face it, people get arrested for a reason, and spending a few restless nights in the Denver city jail isn’t something you’ll look back on with fond memories.

In many cases, the arrest, booking, and Jefferson County Bail Bonds process is easier to handle if you know what to expect.

Remain Calm Once You Are Arrested

The police may arrest you if they have probable cause that you committed a crime. If you are detained, you can expect to hear the phrase popularized in cop and lawyers shows on television for more than 50 years running: “You have the right to remain silent …” These are called your Miranda warnings, and if they aren’t read to you before you’re taken in, a lawyer may get you released nearly as quickly as you were taken to Denver County Jail. Here are some tips to follow if you’re arrested.

• Stay calm.
• Be respectful of the officers.
• Never argue with the arresting officers.
• Stay in one place, and keep your hands to yourself.
• Keep your hands visible at all times.
• Be polite, and don’t make a scene or threaten the officers with a lawsuit over perceived police brutality.
• Be honest and give your true name.

You will be asked if you have needles, weapons, or anything sharp that could hurt them. Tell the truth, because chances are you’re going to be searched for any such items, and will then be placed in a squad car and transported to a booking facility, which usually resides in a city or county jail but could be someplace larger.
Keep in mind the police can question you before or after you’ve been booked, but most lawyers advise clients to not offer much information without legal counsel present. This is to ensure you are being treated fairly, and not coerced in any way into providing information you shouldn’t offer.

Be Patient After You Are Arrested

There’s an old saying patience is a virtue, and that’s true when it comes to the booking procedure. If you’ve been taken to a small jail, you may be booked and put in a cell in under an hour; if you’re taken to a larger facility, the booking procedure could take hours. There are a number of components to the booking procedure and Denver, CO Bail Bonds:

• Basic personal information: Legal name, address, phone number, social security, phone number, and information for your closest relative.
• The “mug shot,” guaranteed to look worse than your worst driver’s license photo, unless you’re Nick Nolte.
• Jailers will collect all your personal property -- jewelry, wallet, personal electronic devices, and give you a receipt.  All items will be returned to you when you’re released, except any illegal substances or items kept as evidence. Always check the receipt to make sure nothing is missing.
• Fingerprinting and identification, both of which get entered into local, state, and federal data bases for future reference in the event you meet up with the law again.

Finally, someone who’s arrested will be subjected to the never-popular body search. This can be embarrassing, uncomfortable, and likely very humiliating.  It could be a simple pat down, or even a full body cavity search.

Getting arrested is never pleasant, but if you know what to expect, the process could be less painful than expected.

What Happens if You Choose Not to Post Bail

In many cases, posting Denver Bail Bonds isn’t as cut and dry as it would seem. Many people who are arrested are not able to post bail for different reasons. They may not have the money or collateral to post bail; they may not be able to contact a relative, friend, or bail bondsman in Denver; or any number of other reasons. But if you choose to or aren’t able to post bail, you can expect certain things to happen – and not necessarily very quickly.

Seeing the Judge

If arrested and can’t post bail bonds in Denver Colorado, a defendant will remain in custody until a hearing before a judge at a local or county court house. This may occur within two to three business days of being arrested and is called an arraignment.

Defendants are issued typical jail clothes, orange jumpsuits, and get transported to court in a secured vehicle, often handcuffed amongst several other defendants who may or may not be facing arraignment on more serious charges. Multiple defendants may wait in court together, each on waiting to be called upon by the judge where he or she will have the chance to plead innocent or guilty to the charges read in court.

What Happens with the Judge and Bail

A judge can issue a sentence immediately if the defendant pleads guilty, but if the person decides to plead not guilty, there are a number of options the judge could choose.

• Leave the bail the same, which is the most common outcome.
• Raise the bail if the judge believes the defendant is a flight risk, for instance.
• Lower the bail if for some reason it is deemed too high.
• Release the defendant on a promise to appear in court at a future date.
• Or even remove bail and remand the person to jail, in which case the defendant stays in jail until the case is resolved in court.

After an Initial Appearance

If the defendant still has bail, he or she is returned to a jail cell while their information is updated in the system. At this point, it’s possible the stay in the Denver City jail has already taken two or three days; waiting for the system to actually update could take another.

Why Post Bail?

If it isn’t obvious already, there are many advantages to posting bail:

• You get out of jail as quickly as possible. If you don’t post bail, you run the risk of going before a judge who could raise the bail amount too high for you to pay, or may remove it all together and make you sit in jail till a trial comes around.
• You can resume normal, day to day activities, such as going to work or taking care of your family. If you’re stuck in a jail cell, neither is possible.
• Being able to prepare for your trial with the support of family and friends.
• Time to find adequate legal counsel. Public defenders serve a vital role in the American judicial system, but some are overworked and sometimes over their head. Posting bail allows you to find and hire an attorney with experience with defendants arrested for a similar crime.

But in most cases, posting bail is a better option than not, and remember that Colorado bail bonds companies work 24/7 every day of the year. They can answer basic questions, and help get you out of jail so you can return to a normal life till your next court date.