Dangers of Staying in Jail Rather Than Securing Bail

debunking myths bail bonds
Debunking Harmful Myths Surrounding SLC Bail Bonds
November 9, 2021
friends family assist arrested
How Friends or Family Can Assist Someone Recently Arrested
January 11, 2022
Show all

Dangers of Staying in Jail Rather Than Securing Bail

dangers staying jail bail

For those who have been arrested on most minor or moderate charges, the potential for posting bail (or a bail bond through a bondsman) will be present and typically utilized if possible. However, there may be some who, for one of a few reasons, choose to remain in jail instead of attempting to secure their release — and while this is obviously your choice in the end, there are several reasons why taking this approach is strongly discouraged.

At Beehive Bail Bonds, we’re proud to provide 24/7 bail bond services to clients throughout Utah, allowing them a much more affordable way of posting their bail and securing their release from jail as soon as possible. Whether you’re thinking is that staying in jail will save you money or you’re considering this route for any other reason, here are some of the major risks associated with choosing to remain in jail instead of taking advantage of bail or bail bond programs available to you.

Less Effective Defense

If you plan to be defending yourself against the charges levied against you, the process of doing so will be significantly more difficult if you’re incarcerated. This is because the ability to gather evidence, speak with witnesses, and consult with your legal counsel will be greatly reduced while you’re behind bars. In fact, in some cases it may be impossible to do any of these things until after your trial has already begun.

This is because visitation and phone call rules within the majority of jail systems make it extremely difficult to conduct anything resembling normal defense preparation or investigation, and your lawyers will be unable to fully communicate with you in person at all. This means that if you choose to stay in jail for this reason (or any other) without having already started defending yourself against the charges, then you’re almost certainly making things much harder on yourself.

Furthermore, many who stay in jail quickly find their motivation for defending themselves wanes. Jail is a horrible place, and the longer you’re incarcerated, the more difficult it becomes to hold on to any hope of being acquitted or having your charges reduced.

Possible Loss in Employment

Another major reason why you shouldn’t be choosing to remain in jail if you have options for securing your release: The possible loss of your job. Many employers are understanding when it comes to employees taking a short leave for personal reasons, such as a family emergency. However, spending an extended period of time in jail is not typically viewed in the same light, and you could find yourself without a job when you finally get out.

This is especially true if your charges are of a serious nature and you’re unable to make a good argument for your innocence. In many cases, an employer will not want to wait around for you to finally clear your name; they may have already filled your position, or they may simply be unwilling to give you your job back after you’ve missed so much work.

And of course, if you lose your job while incarcerated, you won’t have the funds available to pay for your defense or the money to post bail and secure your release.

Risk of Becoming Sick

Jails are also far less healthy places than your home, and this is especially true over the last 18 months or so during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jail involves significant exposure to other people and their germs, which can lead to outbreaks of the virus that are much more devastating than those that have occurred in private homes.

And because many jails prevent inmates from keeping any medicines with them (even prescription medications), if you’re particularly susceptible to illness or happen to contract COVID-19, there will be little chance of preventing or controlling the virus’ spread throughout your body while you’re behind bars. The same goes for many other conditions you might catch from other people, with symptoms that can range from fevers or coughs all the way up to nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, or internal bleeding.

Living in these kinds of conditions for an extended time will only make your chances of becoming sick much greater, and this can lead to serious consequences. If you have the option to avoid this risk and simply secure a jail release, you should take it.

Exposure to Violence

Whether due to overcrowding or other factors, jails are constantly the site of violence between inmates. There could easily be fights breaking out in your area of the jail on a regular basis, and if you don’t have your own cell to retreat into when trouble erupts, you’ll be left vulnerable to serious injury.

This is especially true if you’re considered a “high-risk” inmate by the jail staff for whatever reason. This could be because you’re from a rival gang, you have a history of violence, or you’ve been accused of a particularly heinous crime. If this is the case, then you may be in constant danger from inmates wishing to seek revenge — and because jails don’t typically separate violent offenders from the general population, there’s a chance that not just a single incident could leave you with serious injuries.

You Might Incriminate Yourself

Finally, you must be aware that anything you say to anyone in jail can be used against you during your case. In some cases, people who stay in jail accidentally incriminate themselves during conversations with other inmates, or even while speaking to jail staff. Yet again, this risk can be avoided entirely by simply securing your bail release instead of remaining in jail.

For more on why it’s a bad idea to remain in jail instead of utilizing bail or bail bond programs that are available to you, or to learn about any of our bail bond services or defense attorney recommendations, speak to the staff at Beehive Bail Bonds today.