Say that jerk falls off his bar stool after you barely even punch him and wants to make a federal case out of it. Or you forget to check out at Dominick’s, and the security guard thinks you meant to steal that six-pack. Or you’re careless enough to smoke your joint in public and a squad car happens by. The long arm of the Chicago Police Department is about to grab your collar. Here’s what will happen next.
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You’ll likely be handcuffed, told you’re under arrest, and advised of your Miranda rights. The arresting officer will perform a “custodial” search, patting you down, checking your pockets, unzipping your jacket. Then you’ll be driven to one of the city’s 25 district stations.
There, you’ll sit in a chair or bench, possibly handcuffed to a ring on the wall, while the arresting officer asks you for your name and address and other basic information he needs to complete his arrest report. He’ll show the arrest report to his sergeant, and the sergeant will show it to the watch commander; in the unlikely event that either finds the arrest improper you’ll be released.
The vast majority of people who make it this far into the criminal justice machine are too poor to have a private lawyer on hand and are represented by public defenders in their bond hearings. It usually doesn’t make any difference. Bond hearings are hasty proceedings, and your lawyer is going to have little time to speak on your behalf. A good defense lawyer will try to convince the judge you’re not a flight risk by stressing the ties you have to the community–your job or the classes you’re taking, the length of time you’ve spent living at the same address, the family members you live with. Lawyers get this information from cursory interviews before court begins.
a nice long stay in jail while the case against you is pending.
