At Beehive Bail Bonds, we’re proud to serve as a full-service bail bond company. This means our bail bond agents are here not only to provide bail funds for those in need, but also to walk them or their families through the process of jail release and even helping them find a great defense attorney for their upcoming case.

While the money involved in any bail situation is obviously a significant factor for many people, it’s not the only one in this circumstance. Being arrested and jailed is a stressful, often complicated process that leaves many wondering when they’ll be able to get out and how they can accomplish this. Much of the unknown here comes from not being aware of the process for jail booking and how it works – here are some basic steps that will generally be followed if you are arrested, plus what to expect.

Timing Basics

For starters, often the largest area of confusion for those being arrested, particularly if it’s the first time, is how long the process will take. While you may have seen TV shows or movies where a suspect was brought to the jail house and immediately thrown in a cell with no other procedures first, this isn’t an accurate reflection of reality.

Rather, the jail booking process involves several steps. It may only take around an hour or even less if the jail isn’t particularly crowded, but could take several hours in other cases. Our next sections will go over the steps that are followed.

Simple Information and Evidence

For starters, the booking process begins with the police or jail staff taking your name, the nature of your crime and other basic information. They will have you pose for a mug shot to place in your booking record.

If there is any evidence to document at this point, it will be added to your record. This includes any evidence of physical altercation with police during the arrest, which could impact your case later.

Clothing and Items

Your current clothing and personal items will be removed – you have the ability to save many of these items in a box to retrieve upon release. You will be given jail-appropriate clothes to wear.

Fingerprints and Search

Generally using a modern computer, though older ink methods do still exist, your fingerprints will be taken and run through a crime database. The officers will check for any state or national warrants pending against you based on this. You will then be given a full-body search to ensure you don’t have any dangerous or illicit materials.

Health Screening

Finally, you will often be given a health screening including x-rays and blood tests to ensure you don’t have a dangerous disease. A sample of your DNA may also be taken.

For more on the jail booking process, or to learn about any of our bail bondsman services, speak to the staff at Beehive Bail Bonds today.