If your teen’s been arrested, you are probably scared, and you might be unsure about what you can do. It is important that you act quickly so that you can get past this right away. Here are some things you can do for your family if your teen has been arrested.
Inquire About Bail
You may need to post bail in order to get your teen out of jail. You will be contacted and provided with information about how much bail will cost. If you’re using a bail bondsman, you will need to pay them this money in person, and you will have to sign some paperwork before they can proceed. It may take several hours for your teen to be released after bail has been posted.
Talk to Your Teenager About What Happened
It’s imperative that you know exactly what happened. Ask your teenager to give you all of the details of what happened before, during, and after their arrest. Write down all of this information as you may need to refer to it on more than one occasion in the near future. This information will prove to be very valuable as you are dealing with court proceedings.
Contact a Criminal Defense Lawyer
No matter whether you believe your teen is guilty or innocent, you should contact a criminal defense lawyer. They will want to talk to both you and your teen, and they will go over your options as to what will happen if your teen pleads guilty or innocent. They will be there to represent your teen throughout the entire process, and they will help guide you as well.
Research Your Teenager’s Legal Rights
You should have a good grasp on what your teenager’s legal rights are. Your criminal defense lawyer will go over this with you, but you still need to do some research on your own. This will help you decide how your teen should proceed. It’s a good idea to research similar cases and their outcomes.
Keep Information to Yourself
You may be tempted to talk to as many people as possible about what happened to get support. However, it’s imperative that you keep as much information as you can to yourself. This is a private matter, and you don’t want the opinions of others to persuade your choices right now. If you do feel as if you need to talk to someone to get your feelings out, you may want to consider seeing a therapist. Anything you tell them is confidential, and they can help you figure out ways to cope with all of the feelings that you are having. As this will likely have affected the entire family, family counseling or counseling for each individual family member may be beneficial.
After your teen has been arrested, you need to act quickly. This will allow you to resolve this legal matter the right way, and you can help your teenager move past this trying time in their life.
