Legal Law

Arrested – What To Do When Your Loved One Is In Jail by Wes Denham

The copy at the back of the book begins: “When someone close to you is arrested, things quickly go haywire.” That’s definitely an understatement, things will get extremely crazy and blindingly fast. In “Arrested: What to Do When Your Loved One’s in Jail” by Wes Denham, co-author of “Arrest-Proof Yourself,” you’ll learn how to make decisions that benefit the entire family, not just the accused who was arrested. In an easy-to-read style, without a lot of legal jargon, the book walks you through the process and includes checklists of what to do and in what order. There is also a lot of information on topics that you might not think about when someone is first arrested, but you really should.

I still think it is wiser to know which defense attorney you will call if you ever need one, for yourself or for a friend or family member, but if you haven’t chosen someone yet, read this book and use the parts to select a good private attorney and do it. I think a little work up front, in case you ever need someone, is good insurance.

For those of you who don’t know anything, or don’t know much, about the process when someone is arrested, this book will open your eyes. Just reading this book and then choosing the attorney to call, and perhaps even going as far as providing the attorney with an advance “just in case” will put you well ahead of most people who find themselves dealing with the unpleasantness of having someone to care about those arrested.

The book begins with a short chapter on when you get that late night phone call, “I’m in jail.” It provides some good advice, and then there are a couple of pages on how to protect your rights. Chapter two describes what this book can do for you and a little about the system. Chapter three focuses on how to get information about what is happening. Things like getting the charge sheet, arrest report, etc. Chapter Four is a must-read to protect yourself if someone from your household is arrested. Check your home completely for anything that shouldn’t be there. You better find it before someone with a court order does.

Chapter five provides information about visiting inmates, while chapter six shares information about life in prison. The next two chapters deal with medical care and mental illness, and then with jail commissars and telephones. Chapter nine is not a pleasant chapter, it provides information on sex in jail, which means rape and sexually transmitted diseases. From there, we move on to a chapter on drugs. Starting to see why it’s not a place to be?

The following chapters provide a little information about the types of people you may encounter in jail and why they might be there. Then there is a checklist on the defendant’s evaluation. Do you really want to help the accused and are you ready to change? These chapters will help you decide whether or not you want to help, and what kind of help you will offer. Bail bonds and bonds are covered in Chapter 15. And then there’s a little bit about public defenders, plea deals, and the volume of cases bogging down the system. Chapters 17 and 18 discuss hiring private defense attorneys and provide information to help you make a good decision.

The following chapters help you understand the process and cover topics such as legal services quotes and fees, how to get the most for your money, how to help the defense, budgeting for criminal defense, parole and parole, cooperation with the police and prosecutors, and making a plan.

Chapter 27 was interesting, it had some statistics on all the people incarcerated in the US And then the book concludes with an Appendix containing sample forms and letters.

I found “Arrested” to be an interesting and informative book on an unpleasant subject. Nobody wants to think about the arrest of a loved one, but if it happens, it’s good to be prepared. This book can help you prepare.

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