If you have been arrested and charged with a crime, it shouldn't matter at this point whether you are guilty or not. At this point, you know you need to call someone and probably believe that you are only going to be given one phone call because that's what you've seen coming out of Hollywood.
Actually, in many cases you are given as many calls as you reasonably need to make under the assumption that you are trying to reach an attorney. So, knowing that your calls may be limited and that you may only be given that one phone call because it varies from location to location, who should you call? Here are your options, hoping that you can, indeed, call each of these three people.
If you have a spouse, a partner, a close family member or friend, this would probably be one of the first calls you make. Consider for a moment what would happen if you failed to be at home when the kids arrived or when not showing up at the job you are scheduled to work. Notify someone who can take care of business for you while you are 'out of commission' and who may be able to act on your behalf to make all the other calls you may need to make while being incarcerated.
When you are being arrested, the arresting officer is supposed to, by law, 'read' you your Miranda Rights. These are protected under the 5th Amendment in which you are told that you do not need to say anything which might incriminate you in a court of law. This should alert you to the fact that you shouldn't say anything to anybody at all until you are represented by legal counsel. If you don't have a family member or friend who can contact attorneys for you, this is one person you should call. It is your right.
3. A Bail BondsmanSay, for example, you were arrested in the State of Minnesota. Do you know of a reputable bail bondsman you could call? More importantly, do you know when you should call a bondsman? In this case, you could contact Goldberg Bail Bonds that have many locations throughout the state, but it might not help you unless you know what your bail is set at. This is a call you should make, but only after bail has been set by a judge at a formal hearing in most cases.
You will probably be a nervous wreck after being accused of a crime and arrested, so it might be difficult to keep it together long enough to know who to call and when. That is why the order in which these were listed is probably in order of importance. A loved one can probably be a little calmer than you are at the moment. They will be able to make the necessary contacts for you, especially when it comes time to arranging bail. In any event, it is your right to contact one or more of these people. Do you know who you'd call first?