By Allen, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer Kyle T. Therrian
Office Number: (972) 562-7549
24 Hr Jail Release: (214) 403-6522
www.rosenthalwadas.com

Introduction
Part 1: Communicating With a Person in Jail
Part 2: Book-in and Processing
Part 3: Medical
Part 4: Assistance of Attorney

Communicating with a friend or relative who has been recently arrested is absolutely essential if that individual hopes to post a bond and be released. Many people need no further communication than that first phone call in the middle of the night before they snap into action. However, under the stress and emotion of difficult situation, the first call can sometimes leave very little resolved. Snapping into action is not always easy when an important detail is left out or the communication was limited to a message on your voicemail. Unless you’ve been arrested before, there is no good reason to know what the policies are on communicating with the outside world.

There are two facts that will influence almost any policy at the jail: jails get crowed quickly, and the Sheriff doesn’t like that. People in jail custody fall into two categories: (1) those who are charged with a crime but who have not bonded out, or (2) those who are convicted of a crime and who are serving a jail sentence. The Sheriff has the most control over the number of people falling into the first category. To keep the jail from becoming overly crowded, Collin County allows for somewhat liberal use of the phones by inmates. More opportunity to call friends and family means more opportunity to work out details with someone on the outside who can post a bond.

Although the jail won’t provide the luxury of receiving incoming calls, an inmate generally has the ability to make as many collect phone calls as necessary. Since we now live in an age where phone numbers are programmed into our address book and rarely ever memorized, the jail staff will even allow inmates in the intake area to retrieve numbers from their cell phones.

Collin County Jail is far from the “one call, use it wisely” policy of television jail. The County’s dislike for paying room and board will always outweigh the desire to deprive people of all their freedom. If you have had an unproductive phone call with a friend or relative who has been recently arrested, hopefully this little bit of information will help alleviate some of the panic in this difficult situation.

*Kyle Therrian is an attorney licensed to practice in the State of Texas. Nothing in this article is intended to be legal advice. For legal advice on any case you should contact an attorney directly.