Prison Booking Procedure and Tips
In all honesty, the hope is if you’re reading this, it’s for purely informational reasons. You’re just curious.
But in the event you have been charged with a crime, and you need to know the police booking process, and eventually the prison booking process, we’re going to fill you in.
For offences that occur quickly, like if you’re pulled over and charged with a DUI, the first part of the process is abbreviated. But if you’re charged with an offence that requires an investigation that leads to an official charge, you’ll need to know what you’re to face.
The basics are when the police have enough evidence against you to lay a charge, they’ll present the evidence to a prosecutor who will then decide if the evidence warrants a charge. If yes, then you will be served with a document (served by the police) detailing the charges, at this point, you’ll want to contact a good criminal defence lawyer. You don’t want to enter this process without representation.
The Police Booking Process
The police may need to get a warrant for your arrest from a judge, or they may just serve you with the necessary documents.
Once served, the document you receive will detail instructions as to when and where to report for court.
This is also the time you’ll be notified as to whether prison booking is necessary, because depending on the severity of the charge, you may need to be taken into custody to determine whether or not you need to be held until trial, whether or not bail is necessary and whether you qualify for it, how much bail is, and so forth.
Depending on the offence and the type of bail you may have, there may be the necessity for a bail hearing, and this is the process where a top flight criminal defence lawyer will be beneficial. Your lawyer can help you through this process and assist with the arrangements you need to make.
And remember, no one can be denied bail without cause. But the decision to be released on bail depends on several factors, including the serious of the offence and whether or not you have prior convictions. Your lawyer can help explain all this.
During the prison booking process, you will be formally arrested, which could happen once you’re formally served with the charges or you may be asked to report at an agreed upon time and date.
Which means once arrested, you’ll need to be fingerprinted, your rights will be told to you, and you’ll be given the chance to call a lawyer, or a defence lawyer paid for by the government if you can’t afford to pay for your own lawyer.
Your case paperwork will then be completed. You may start out at a local police station, then transferred to a county or provincial jail or prison.
Prison Booking Tips
And here’s a tip, if you find yourself in the prison booking process, know your rights, and be respectful. And keep in contact with your lawyer, especially before prison booking, they can inform you of anything you need to know for the process to be as smooth as possible, given the circumstances, of course.
So if you’re faced with the need for this information on the police booking process or prison booking process, contact the best criminal lawyer you can find. The process is complicated and confusing, and with the stress involved when under indictment or charge, you need the peace of mind a criminal defence lawyer can provide during this process.