Fort Worth Probation Officers

When a person is arrested for DWI and an interlock device is a requirement, then they’ll be directed to report to a pre-trial officer to give proof of the interlock installation. In other cases, particularly drug cases, the person may be required to report to an officer where they submit urine samples to be tested for the presence of drugs or report to what they call a bond caseload officer, who is really just a probation officer, so it’s like a person’s already on probation even though they haven’t been found guilty of anything. Unfortunately, the law allows judges to set conditions of bond, which can include reporting weekly, twice a month or monthly to a bond caseload officer, as well as submitting urine each time they report to a bond caseload officer and having an interlock device installed by a certain date, usually 30 days from the date of release.

There can be some additional conditions of bond in certain cases that require a person to stay away from certain businesses or locations or stay away from certain people, such as complaining witnesses in assault cases. To learn more about the limitations of your parole or probation consult with a Fort Worth probation violations lawyer today.

Pre-Trial Counseling

Sometimes we do, and that’s done on a case-by-case basis, depending on how we evaluate the case, what the differences are and our strategy for defending it and getting the best result. It also depends on the client and what the client needs. Now, we’re going to represent the client to the best of our ability to try to get a dismissal, an acquittal or a finding of not guilty; that’s always going to be our goal, no matter what the circumstance. But now in some cases, the client may need some counseling or treatment, and we’ll certainly help to get them into such a treatment or counseling program if that’s necessary.

In other cases, depending on our defense strategy or the best result, we may make the recommendation that our client have some counseling or treatment, or sometimes there are other steps that we recommend being taken. Quite often, we’re able to get dismissals by showing the prosecutor some of the legal or factual weaknesses in the case and then also showing maybe some steps that our client has taken, such as completion of a counseling program or community service hours that the person has done. So it’s on a case-by-case basis, depending on the client, what the client needs and the best way to defend the case.

How Do I Discover Where A Friend Or Family Member Has Been Taken After An Arrest?

Hopefully, you, at least, know the city they’re arrested in or the police department or agency that arrested them. If you know the city or the agency, then typically, they’re going to be taken to that city or the agency’s jail. Now, some cities and some agencies don’t have their own jail, so it may be some other facility that they’re taken to. But you can usually call the agency that arrested the person to find out where they were taken. Most cities in Tarrant County have their own jail; however, the city of Fort Worth does not have its own jail so they take the arrested person to the city of Mansfield’s jail, which is interesting.

Then if a person is arrested in an unincorporated area of the county, they’re taken to the Tarrant County jail. So the first step you’d need to do is call the arresting agency to find out where they take their prisoners. Then you can usually confirm with that jail or holding facility if the person is there, and they’ll confirm what the person is charged with and if there is a bond set yet. If you can’t find that information on your own, you can contact an attorney who can easily find that information out for you or sometimes a bondsperson.

When to Contact An Attorney

The sooner the better, so yes, certainly, get an attorney right away. The attorney can help you with making bond arrangements that would be the best for your particular family member or friend, and sometimes it’s better to do a cash bond so that you don’t have to deal with a bondsman. Also an attorney can determine if there are any other steps that can be taken early to give the person the best possible defense, so certainly the sooner the better when it comes to contacting an attorney.

 

How Can An Attorney Help Someone Get Out Of Jail Right Away?

The attorney can help in many ways. First off, they can help advise what the bond is set at or when the bond will be set if it’s not yet set, then they can determine if doing a cash bond or hiring a bondsperson is the best next step, then determine if there are any other steps that need to be taken. Second, if no bond is quickly set, an attorney may be able to obtain a writ of habeas corpus to secure a client’s immediate release without having to make bond. There usually won’t be a court appearance for at least a week, but then the attorney can appear at any court appearance but, more importantly, can usually get the person excused from an early court appearance because they’ve already hired an attorney.

An attorney can also help with any arrangements for complying with conditions of bond, installation of interlock devices and then also ensure any important steps that need to be taken to increase the chance of defending the case, such as the collection of evidence, photographs, records or anything like that needs to be done, including whether or not there needs to be a medical examination or other types of testing. Some of these opportunities disappear with time so the sooner the better for getting them done.

Helpful Tips For People That Have Been Arrested In Texas

Sometimes bonds are set at excessive levels, so instead of the person having to come up with a hundred thousand dollars in cash or paying a bondsman $2,000 to make an unreasonable $100,000 bond, the attorney can go to a judge and get that bond reduced to a reasonable level. So that’s another step that an attorney can take to help a person get out of jail when they might not have been able to so otherwise.