We’ve all heard this TV/Movie Cop Cliche about a zillion times. I’ve never had the pleasure of confirming that this is true–that, once arrested, you get a single phone call–and, in fact, have been acquainted with several people who’ve spent the weekend (or more) in jail and had opportunities a-plenty to make numerous phone calls.
Questions:
Should the phrase really be: “You’ve got the right to make at least one phone call?”
If so, I’m assuming that some court must’ve rulled on this, since the Bill of Rights is silent when it comes to telephony. What’s the name of the case (lacking a command of legal jargon) where this was decided?
Assuming that one does have the right to “at least” one phone call, under what circumstances does one only get one and under what circumstances does one get as many as they can afford?
Well, in my experience they did give me (and my cellmates) a phone call, but it was at their convenience. The phone was mounted on the wall just outside of the front bars of the cell. But the deputies on duty got real pissy when we reached (easily) to use it. They told us that we had to wait for them to dial the number.
Just that one morning in jail was enough for me to keep straight. And that was in a cell full of unfortunates like me, not seasoned criminals.
I looked in the mirror today/My eyes just didn’t seem so bright
I’ve lost a few more hairs/I think I’m going bald - Rush
IIRC, there is no actual law saying you get one phone call. They let you have as many as they want,and don’t have to give you any until you go before the judge. also, a lot of detainment cells have pay phones in them that you can use to make collect calls.
We live in an age that reads to much to be wise, and thinks too much to be beautiful–Oscar Wilde
This is a FRIEND of mr john, mr john has no personal experience in the matter. The phone was on the floor in front of the small holding cells at sheriffs office. Just a regular desk phone, rotary dial this was in the 70’s. They had it rigged to some sort of pulley system with the cord running in front of all the cells. You could reach out and slide the phone to your cell, we were at the mercy of other ‘hardened criminals’.Us longhaired commie protestors ( more than 10 longhairs in one place was a protest in that town) had to wait cause every five minutes the guy in the next cell was calling some different woman. Solid walls between cells i couldn’t see the guy, but I SWEAR it was Barry White. Same voice same lines"ohhhh,baby, you know how I get when I have that one drink. I swear if you get me out I’ll always be true."
“Pardon me while I have a strange interlude.”-Marx
What you actually get is the right to contact your attorney. Otherwise said attorney would get a writ of habeus corpus and have you sprung right out of there. You might also try and get someone to post your bond, after it’s been set. Everything else is at the discretion (caprice? whim?) of the jailer.
O.K. so we’ve determined that you can theoretically make MULTIPLE phone calls, but do you get a yellow pages or other reference?
After all, having never been arrested, or having to contact a lawyer, I have no idea how one does so. I imagine you look in the phone book (assuming one is handy) and even then, something tells me only the crackpots advertise in there.
I’d hate to find myself arrested at some point in a small town, be unable to contact anyone I know, and then be told I need to have an attorney by some ‘X’ amount of time thus putting pressure on me, without me being able to get adequate counsel…
O.K. so we’ve determined that you can theoretically make MULTIPLE phone calls, but do you get a yellow pages or other reference?
After all, having never been arrested, or having to contact a lawyer, I have no idea how one does so. I imagine you look in the phone book (assuming one is handy) and even then, something tells me only the crackpots advertise in there.
I’d hate to find myself arrested at some point in a small town, be unable to contact anyone I know, and then be told I need to have an attorney by some ‘X’ amount of time thus putting pressure on me, without me being able to get adequate counsel…
O.K. so we’ve determined that you can theoretically make MULTIPLE phone calls, but do you get a yellow pages or other reference?
After all, having never been arrested, or having to contact a lawyer, I have no idea how one does so. I imagine you look in the phone book (assuming one is handy) and even then, something tells me only the crackpots advertise in there.
I’d hate to find myself arrested at some point in a small town, be unable to contact anyone I know, and then be told I need to have an attorney by some ‘X’ amount of time thus putting pressure on me, without me being able to get adequate counsel…
O.K. so we’ve determined that you can theoretically make MULTIPLE phone calls, but do you get a yellow pages or other reference?
After all, having never been arrested, or having to contact a lawyer, I have no idea how one does so. I imagine you look in the phone book (assuming one is handy) and even then, something tells me only the crackpots advertise in there.
I’d hate to find myself arrested at some point in a small town, be unable to contact anyone I know, and then be told I need to have an attorney by some ‘X’ amount of time thus putting pressure on me, without me being able to get adequate counsel…
O.K. so we’ve determined that you can theoretically make MULTIPLE phone calls, but do you get a yellow pages or other reference?
After all, having never been arrested, or having to contact a lawyer, I have no idea how one does so. I imagine you look in the phone book (assuming one is handy) and even then, something tells me only the crackpots advertise in there.
I’d hate to find myself arrested at some point in a small town, be unable to contact anyone I know, and then be told I need to have an attorney by some ‘X’ amount of time thus putting pressure on me, without me being able to get adequate counsel…
O.K. so we’ve determined that you can theoretically make MULTIPLE phone calls, but do you get a yellow pages or other reference?
After all, having never been arrested, or having to contact a lawyer, I have no idea how one does so. I imagine you look in the phone book (assuming one is handy) and even then, something tells me only the crackpots advertise in there.
I’d hate to find myself arrested at some point in a small town, be unable to contact anyone I know, and then be told I need to have an attorney by some ‘X’ amount of time thus putting pressure on me, without me being able to get adequate counsel…
It was a payphone, rigged up so as to only make collect calls, mounted on a piece of plywood, which had casters on it to facilitate movement 'twixt the cells.
You could have made as many calls as you liked, but I couldn’t think of anyone I wanted to let know of my predicament.
And there were numerous stickers with the numbers of bail bondsmen, but I don’t recall any that specifically advertised lawyers. Quite frankly, I was more interested in getting the hell out, than finding an attorney.
And a few automatic weapons, mattress stuffed with money, cabinet full of canned beans, 55 gal drum of water…
And, of course, Dick Clark on the tube!
It’s just always a good idea to know exactly what your rights are! And, like a good post on a thread, an ability to cite authority and references never hurts… (although I do enjoy reading the testimonials!)
When my friend Moishe’s parents had him committed (unfairly) to a mental institution for running away, he requested to call a lawyer. He called a friend to try to find a lawyer’s phone number, but the nurse grabbed the phone and hung up on her.