Your friend calls you from jail on a Friday night – he or she needs you to come post bail so they can avoid a night in jail. You have been out drinking that night with friends, but you think that you might just be sober enough to drive your way to the county jail and spring your friend from a night in a cell.
That is exactly what this Iowa City woman tried to do for her friend, but instead she just did a favor for the police – she drove right down to the jail where the police officers could charge her with driving while intoxicated.
So before you decide to hop behind the wheel while intoxicated or high to save your friend, think about your options, and consider other ways you can help.
1. Don’t even think about driving.
If your friend calls from jail, your first instinct might be to rush down to the precinct with a pocket full of money. If you are caught committing a crime in the process, though, you are only worsening the problem by placing you both in the custody of the police. If you want to drive down to the rescue, make sure that you are following the law exactly in order to make your trip most effective.
2. Have your friend call a few more people.
While most people are still under the impression that jail personnel only allow you one phone call after you have been locked up, this myth is largely untrue, with many jails suggesting that the incarcerated call as many people as they can to produce bail. If you can’t be of assistance when your friend needs it most, suggest they call everyone they know, and give them our number so we can help your friend in their time of need. Your patience on the phone might help them in the long run.
3. Call around for your friend.
If your friend ends up being arrested and taken to jail, they might be too shaken up to make well-informed and rational decisions on their own. While your friend may want to call their other family members, they might be paralyzed by the fear of what might happen over the next few days of their life.
Once you find out about this predicament, do your friend a favor and call as many people as you can to help secure the bail amount. Go through your friend’s address book and dial numbers one by one until the list runs out. Your diligence and perseverance may be the reason that your friend stays out of jail for the weekend.
4. Be realistic.
While you may want to help your friend get out of their cell, often times the bail amount will be too high for you to scrounge together between you and your friends. Don’t worry, though – there’s still an option. Simply have your friend call us, or call us yourself, and tell us everything you know. We’ll handle the rest from there, and ensure that your friend tastes freedom as soon as possible.