Self-Defense Aftermath: How To Get Out Of Jail ASAP After An Arrest - Part I

Self-Defense Aftermath: How To Get Out Of Jail ASAP After An Arrest - Part I

If you are going to legally carry a handgun for personal protection, there is a very real possibility, especially in a crime-ridden city like Detroit, that you may be forced to defend your life or the life of a loved one. Accordingly, if you find yourself in the aftermath of a shooting incident - whether you are physically at home or away from home - you may be arrested by the attending law enforcement officials.

This article will explore and discuss easy to implement plans that you can do, in advance of your arrest, to make sure that you spend as little time as possible behind bars while awaiting an opportunity to post a bond, if it is available to you.

Being Arrested Is No Picnic But You Should Be Civil

Nothing is perhaps more embarrassing than being arrested. First, you are going to hauled off to jail, which as we'll see later, is not a fun place to be unless you hapen to work there. Secondly, your neighbors are going to be looking on at the visceral scene of flashing flights with disapproving eyes as several police officers are escorting you away in the back seat of a squad car; this event is not likely to garner you any kudos at the next neighborhood association meeting.

You will most likely be physically uncomfortable, especially if you protected your rights by not making any statements to the police, as they know how to make the handcuffs especially tight on the wrists for people who do not make their jobs easy. Your refusal to answer any questions, without your lawyer present, will likely cause them to be a little forceful with you.

I wish to admonish you, however, that no matter how unfairly you think they are treating you - from the point of the actual arrest all the way through to "booking you" and placing you in a cell - not to behave towards them in a less than honorable and respectful fashion. Your stay in jail will already be unpleasant enough without giving your jailers motive and incentive to later exact revenge by making your stay even more uncomfortable.

For example, your prior level of hostility may come back to haunt you if your holding cell has a "collect-call-only" phone inside of it. For mysterious reasons, your phone won't work throughout your stay despite their claims that they have notified the phone company of the problem and that it should be working shortly. When you audibly start hearing detainees in adjacent cells making their pleas to have their loved ones bail them out, you'll realize that your jailers are toying with you.

Another mind-job jailers use on unruly prisoners, is to tell them that he will forward their info to a bailbondsman that usually drops in at the police department lobby looking for clients. He promises you that you will know something soon yet the hours come and go without the prisoner hearing aything from anyone. To reiterate, being in jail is not going to be any fun. Don't make your time even harder by giving your jailers an excuse to play with your head. Other games jailers play include telling prisoner's the wrong date or time of the day and not waking them for meals.

Going To Jail Will Not Be Fun

Let's not mince any words: going to jail is not going to be a lot of fun. In fact, it can be quite a miserable place. The food is terrible, the accommodations are less than desirable, you will be treated like a common criminal, and you will not have anything to keep yourself occupied for a long period of time. If you are fortunate, you will hopefully only lose your freedom for a short period of time and you will not have to embarrasingly inform your employer of your arrest.

The Menu May Not Be Prepared By A Gourmet Chef

With respect to the food, it may not be very appealing, may be of modest sized portions, and may not taste very good. However unappealing the chow may appear to be, force yourself to eat it to sustain your strength. Now is not the time and place to stage a hunger strike. Breakfast may only be consisted of a single muffin of meager size while your lunch and supper may only be a sandwich with very little meat. Water from your cell's fountain may be the only beverage you will be provided and it may not taste very good.

If you have a large appetite, you may experience a perpetual sensation of hunger throughout your stay. Furthermore, napkins, paper plates, and plastic eating utensils are often viewed as unprovided luxuries and you may not be awakened from sleep at meal-time and thus forfeit your ration of food.

The Facilities May Not Be Worthy Of A Five Star Rating

With respect to the accommodations of your holding cell, a flop-house in the worse slum would appear to be a five-star hotel by comparison. You will not have any privacy to use the toilet, you may be under constant video surveillance, and you may feel that the housekeeping may not be "up to snuff" as evidenced by either apparent human waste on the walls or your mattress (if one is even provided).

Moreover, the cell's temperature - either too hot or too cold - may not be to your liking and if you are a smoker you may want to consider quitting as you won't be able "to light up" until your release. Also, if you are arrested over the weekend and have a few days before your arraignment, you may not be allowed to shower, change your clothes, or brush your teeth.

You Will Be Treated Like A Common Criminal

During your stay you may be shocked and surprised at your treatment by the jailers. The jailers have a job to do - keep you incarcerated until you are released - and they have "heard it all" from the people they detain. Any statements that you make to them may be unbelieved or wholly discounted. You may be spoken to harshly and condescendingly. They don't care about how great of a citizen you tell them you are and they don't care about how much money you give to charity. You are in their jail "for a reason" and you will be treated as a prisoner - just like all the others.

You Will Only Have Yourself For Company

The absolute worse part about being incarerated will be the sheer amount of boredom that you will experience. Imagine yourself being held in a 6X10 foot cell and not having anything to do but sleep on a filthy cot: no television to watch, no books to read, no pen and paper to write with, no cell phone to communicate with, and no clock to watch. The lack of activity and the ability to sense time can drive some people "stir crazy."

Some people cry uncontrollably, scream out curses, and others inflict injury upon themselves by hurling parts of their body into the walls. One thing to keep in mind during your incarceration is to not to let your mental state allow you to be "softened up" and thus make you more susceptible to forfeiting your rights to be counselled by an attorney before making any statements to anyone: the arresting officer, the officer booking you, the jailers detaining you, or other prisoners locked up in neighboring cells.

Further, be advised that police officers can lie to you and offer fake deals to you for information that can be used against you in a court of law. In some extreme cases, the police may place a "plant" in the next cell to get info from you while you are just desiring conversation to "kill some time." If you do not wait to be represented by your lawyer, a justifiable case of self-defense can be rapidly railroaded into a murder charge against you by an over-zealous District Attorney.

Are You Now Motivated To Plan For Your Self-Defense Arrest?

If the above depiction, of what time spent behind bars is like, troubles you, I have adequately prepared the landscape for you to now take the time to make plans for your self-defense arrest. In a similar vein, no one plans to have an automobile accident, but most prudent drivers still wear their seatbelts each and every time they get behind the wheel just in case they are in a vehicular collision.