How Do I Get Someone Out of Jail?
After an individual is arrested, they will be taken to a local city or county jail and “booked” for the particular offense with which they are charged. This process is usually long and tedious. The person’s fingerprints are taken and they are photographed. The photo is often referred to as a “mug shot.” The person’s identifying information is then run through a national database in order to verify his or her identity and to search for pending warrants or charges in other jurisdictions. The process is lengthily and can take anywhere from 2 to 24 hours.
Only after the booking process has been completed may a person be eligible for release. In some cases, a defendant may be released without the actual filing of charges and no bond is necessary. Often in DUI cases, a person is driven to a detox facility and served with a summons. Sometimes defendants are released on their own recognizance (known as a personal recognizance or “PR” bond). In most DUI cases, however, the jail or the court will set a bail amount.
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