The stress of constantly having to look over your shoulder is no joke and is made even worse when you fear that you could be taken to jail at any time. If you or a loved one either know or think that you may have a warrant out, here is what to do and how to take control if you need to turn yourself in.
Confirm that there is a warrant out
Before anything else, you should call a local bail bond agency and make sure that there is in fact a warrant out for your arrest. Bail bond agencies have access to databases that allow them to see if warrants are out and what the charges are for. By first confirming you save yourself the unneeded worry of wondering if law enforcement is searching for you and allows you to take action and make the proper steps to rectify the situation.
See if a bond amount has already been set
Often, many counties will use what is called a bail schedule to determine the cost of the bond depending on the severity of the charges. For misdemeanor or lesser charges, it is possible that the bond cost has already been set. If this is the case, the bail bond agent can look up that information and could potentially assist you in paying the bond upfront and avoid being arrested altogether. It is important to note that paying the bond cost ahead of time won’t keep you from having to go to court but it can keep you out of jail in the meantime. If there is not a bond cost attached to the bond then unfortunately arrest or surrender has to occur.
Why turning yourself in benefits you
Although the concept of showing up to jail is scary, in the end, there is a lot of good that comes from you taking the initiative to turn yourself in rather than waiting to be arrested. The first, and most obvious reason is to relieve stress. It can be extremely nerve-wracking to wait for the police to come and arrest you since you have no idea where it will happen, who it will be in front of, or what you will be doing at the time. By turning yourself in, you are able to take control of the when and where which lets you mentally prepare and get your affairs in order. The other big benefit of turning yourself in proactively is that the courts will view this action as you taking responsibility which in turn could possibly mean a more lenient sentence in the long run.
Where to go and what to bring
If you decide to surrender, typically you can work with a lawyer to help you negotiate the terms of surrender or you can simply go to your local county jail based on the county where the warrant is assigned. When you arrive, you should have some type of Photo ID with you as well as any medications or medical equipment that you need in day-to-day life. You may also bring some cash if you want to try and pay for a cash bond. Bringing much more than this will only mean more things to check-in until you are released.
To sum up, being proactive about a warrant can potentially mean a much easier time overall getting through the whole experience and in some cases when checking to confirm, you may be able to avoid having to go through an arrest at all. If you in Colorado and are looking to see if you might have a warrant out, please feel free to give us a call and we would be happy to look that up for you and help with further steps!
