What Do Super-Dads Do When Kids Get Arrested?

It’s never easy when loved ones get arrested, much less when it’s your child. Your emotional attachment might just cloud your judgment and make you panic. 

Law enforcement agencies reported that approximately 809,700 minors got arrested in the U.S. in 2017. Given how commonplace cases like these are, we decided that a set of guidelines was necessary to help hapless fathers get their children out of prison at the earliest.

Remain Calm and Assess the Situation

When you are notified that your child has been arrested, it is imperative that you remain calm. Get to the police station and know the facts. If it’s a petty charge, like a case of shoplifting, they might let your child go with a warning, once you’ve paid the fine. However, in cases of serious offenses, get a qualified lawyer, preferably before the interrogation starts. 

Depending on the state laws, you may or may not be allowed to communicate with your child. Ensure that your lawyer is cooperative, who will be a medium of communication between the two of you.

Your Child Should Know His Rights

Even if your particular state laws or the nuances of the case itself do not provide any additional privileges to an accused, who is a minor, your child still has the same rights as other detained persons do. 

First, as minors, the police are bound to inform their parents that they have been arrested. Second, your child should ask for legal counsel, even if you are yet to reach the scene. Third, in terms of providing information, only the accused’s name should be disclosed. Lastly, your child is free to ask at any time, whether they are free to leave.

Seek a Good Legal Counsel

The legal team that you assemble will make or break your child’s case. You need to make sure that the lawyers do their due diligence, treat your child’s case with utmost importance, are cooperative with you and address your doubts and queries without delay, and are able to get your child the best possible deal. 

It is recommended that you have a trusted, qualified lawyer on speed dial at all times, who can refer you to other lawyers. Ensure that there is at least one senior lawyer on the team because a good reputation goes a long way in court.

Get to Know the Jail Where Your Child Is

The state of Oklahoma has 24 state prisons and 3 operational private prisons. The state has the highest incarceration rate in the U.S., and thus, are under watch by human rights watchdogs all the time, which means that their conditions are relatively better than other state prisons. 

Find the prison where your child has been placed on PrisonRoster, and then proceed to look up that particular prison’s stats and other vital information. If the conditions are inadequate or unsafe, you can move court. There, you can use the information obtained as grounds to appeal transferring your child to another prison.

Non-Bail Able Offences Have Limited Visitation Rights

Although a minor is seldom booked under a non-bail able offense, the decision depends entirely on the police and the prosecutor. In the event that your child has been booked under a non-bail able offense, even as a parent, you might have very limited visitation rights. 

Ask your lawyer to inquire into the terms and conditions of your visitation. It is paramount that while visiting your child, you do not break down, even if you see your child crying because it will only dampen their spirits even further. Instead, assure them that the lawyers are working hard and be truthful.

Do Not Blindly Support Your Child or the Police

Your child being arrested does not necessarily mean that he is a villain and has stopped being worthy of your support. Neither does it insinuate that the police are out to get him to fulfill a personal vendetta against him. Rationality and objectivity might be hard to come by in such situations, but those are exactly what you need. 

Cooperate with the police, but don’t go out of your way to prove your innocence by agreeing to unwarranted house searches. On the flip side, don’t try to cover up your child’s crimes either by disposing of evidence because that is a felony.

Approach the Situation as A Learning Curve

Most importantly, you need to remember that this is the perfect opportunity for both you and your child to learn and grow together. Be supportive and take the time to talk the issue through. Teach your child why what he did was wrong. 

If he had been falsely accused, help him see how to be warier of how he goes about in the world. Don’t act aloof or judge your child; leave the judgment to the courts. Put in all your effort to help exonerate him and likewise, be prepared for the verdict to be declared otherwise.

Concluding Remarks

As the child’s father and their most effective defense, it is up to you to think straight, and be persistent in your efforts to get your kid out of jail.

This is a collaborative post.