When a person is arrested on criminal charges in Tulsa, depending on the nature of the charges, they will typically have the opportunity to post bail and be released from custody until trial. There are, however, a variety of reasons a person may consider staying in jail and awaiting trial in Tulsa. Read further for more information.
Why Stay in Jail in Tulsa?
Firstly, you might want to stay in jail if you expect to be arraigned within a day or two after your arrest and anticipate you may be released on your own recognizance. In this case, you may be willing to put up with a couple of days behind bars, especially since this would spare you and your family from having to come up with money for bail.
Likewise, if you and your family cannot afford bail and you are fairly convinced that you will be found guilty, you may not want to strain your family’s finances on what you see as a lost cause.
Lastly, you might want to stay in jail until trial in order to take advantage of the fact that Oklahoma grants a defendant credit for time served before trial. If you expect to be convicted, this may be a way to significantly reduce the length of time you spend behind bars after your conviction.
Reasons to Bail Yourself Out of Jail In Tulsa
Despite the reasons above, it is almost always better to bail yourself out. Here are a few reasons why.
Firstly, jails are extremely uncomfortable places, and, in most cases, even more uncomfortable for those awaiting trial. After you are stripped, given a full body cavity search and then housed in cramped quarters with people of questionable character, you may soon regret your decision to stay in jail and await trial. Furthermore, those who are fighting a charge from jail have less access to legal services than those who are out on bail.
Secondly, if you are deciding to stay in jail because you expect to be convicted and be sentenced to jail anyway, you might be mistaken. A variety of things can happen to turn your trial around. For example, the witnesses against you might not show up to testify or the evidence against you may be deemed inadmissible.
Furthermore, even if you are convicted, it is not certain that you will receive jail time. The jails are overcrowded these days, and it is not uncommon for people who might normally be incarcerated to be released to serve their sentences in the community instead.
Third, bailing yourself out of jail can speed up the legal process. Being free will allow you greater access to your attorney, who can then meet with you as often as necessary to prepare your defense as well as the paperwork needed to file motions to keep you out of court and out of jail.
In addition, prosecutors tend to spend less time dealing with cases where the defendant has been released on bail. This often results in witnesses getting lost and evidence going cold, which can eventually result in a better plea bargain, or perhaps even having the charges against you dismissed.
Finally, most people who are arrested have a family, a job or a business that need their daily attention. Bailing yourself out will allow you to resume your day-to-day activities while getting your affairs in order in advance of your sentencing, which may result in time behind bars where you will be away from your family, job or business concerns.
Free Consultation: Tulsa Criminal Attorney
When you’ve been arrested in the Tulsa area, it’s time to retain a Tulsa criminal attorney who will look out for your legal interests. Contact your defense team at Tulsa Criminal Defense Law Firm today for a free, confidential consultation.
A Tulsa criminal attorney can advise you how the criminal justice process works and offer answers to your specific questions. To begin your free consultation, call now: (918) 256-3400.