(This is general information about getting someone recently arrested out of jail in Mississippi only. Contact a local bondsman of your choice for further and more precise information on the local bonding process.)
When your loved one is arrested, they will be calling you, someone, anyone that will answer the phone to help them get out of jail. Sometimes, the arresting officer will allow your loved one to use a personal cell phone to notify family or make a brief courtesy call prior to being transported to the jail but that call is not a right or guarantee. During the arrest, however, your loved one’s personal belongings found during the arrest will be seized, secured, inventoried and held until their release, including their cell phone, money, keys, medication and other valuables.
Communication between your loved one and you while at the jail will likely be very costly and more precious than normal. Typically, your loved one will ask you to add money to their account or books at the jail for not only necessities such as extra food, snacks, white underwear, hygiene items but also money for phone calls and emails from the jail. Please keep in mind that these telephone calls and emails are not private and could be used against your loved one in their case so avoid trying to get them to discuss or confess any illegal activities. Some numbers may be free calls from the jail. For instance, my number is a free call from the DeSoto County Detention Center.
Your loved one will not be allowed to leave the jail until a bond is set and the bond is made or issued. Some common charges have a standard bond amount in some jurisdictions that can quickly and easily be set. For other charges, your arrested loved one, the “defendant”, may have to appear before a judge either in person or by video to have a bond set. Once the bond amount is set, then either the whole cash bond amount can be paid or a local bondsman can write the bond along with a willing cosigner with the necessary reduced amount of bond. The bond is necessary to insure that your loved one comes to scheduled court appearances. If your loved one does not go to court and you are the cosigner on the bond, you could be liable for additional costs including the cost to the bonding agency in recapturing your loved one.
When your loved one is arrested and you know that you want to help them get out of jail on bond, you can begin to contact local bonding companies for assistance. If a bond is set, then you can immediately begin to work with a bondsman to get your loved one out of jail. If a bond is not set, you can either wait for a bond to be set or contact an attorney to help you with trying to get a bond set, consult with your loved one privately or even petition for a bond reduction if the current bond amount seems too high.
When your loved one is arrested, it is normal for you to be anxious, fearful and unsure about the proper steps to take to help your loved one. Hopefully some of this information will help prepare you to know what to do, assist someone else going through this or help in a current situation. If we can further assist you with a loved one that has been recently arrested in Mississippi, please don’t hesitate to contact us.