Too Good of a Writer

No...I am not that vain...in terms of writing ability, but I have been good. Too good. I have never got into trouble with the law. Clean background, no vehicle accidents, no speeding tickets, nothing...

But I have a character that is likewise, except he gets fired as a Federal Agent because he fraternizes with a woman he is investigating. When he is fired, he kind of losses it and gives his boss 2 shiners and a broken nose.

I assume the law would frown on that and he would go to jail, have to post bond, and be let go. But how much money to be let out? And also how long would it take to go from arrest to free?

 

Only if his boss made a complaint. Maybe there are reasons why he doesn't.

 

I thought it might make the book more interesting if the love interest has to go down and bail out her boyfriend, two days after friendship turns into love. (This is a question really and not written in stone as far as my book is concerned). She might question what she is doing with him, but then kind of likes it because she finds out his boss suggested she was a slut, and the main character defended her honor.

I just was not sure how involved it would get, if he got arrested.

I was not looking for a Big Bubba in jail sort of scenario, I just thought maybe if he sulked in jail a bit, it would add some drama/conflict. This is at the key point in the novel when everything is bad for him. He just got fired. He knows his girlfriend is being set up for a triple murder. He knows who is doing it, and just cannot prove it as a Federal Agent, and now even that was taken away from him.

 

I am a Federal Employee so I was going off how firings happen where I work, and it is sort on one on one, but with security guard present, which is how I wrote it. But I am not a federal agent either, so violence never happens were I work, which may be why things are the way they are. But I have never been fired from a job either???

It is actually about a OSHA Agent who is investigating deaths at work, and ends up falling for a widow, so a bit different than a FBI guy, but then, not really because we all operate under the same laws.

I just have no idea how jail works. But I am a writer...I don't have to do bad tings because I can just write about them instead!

 

I dont know how it works with federal agents, but if someone assaults someone else, they would be detained briefly and bond for release would be low.
But this depends on state and county.

for higher bonds, the person is required to pay a certain percentage (in my county, its like 10 percent). for low bonds, its $100 plus booking fee.

 

I think it would be a few hours. Have to get through booking and
go through all the steps (not sure what those are) to bond out.

 

I work at a county jail, so I think I can help you out. So, here's how it would go down in Texas. If he were arrested, it would be for Assault Causing Bodily Injury. That's a class A misdemeanor (the highest level misdemeanor, just below a felony). Here in TX, it's punishable by up to a year in jail and/or up to $4000. The day of the arrest would go like this: He'd be brought to the jail. The police car would pull into the sally port (a gated driveway so there is no direct access to the outside). Booking officers would meet the arresting officer. They'd escort the arrested person from the car into the intake. He would be cuffed this whole time. The booking officers would pat him down, then uncuff him. They would inventory all his property (any items he came in with plus his clothes) and take it and place it in a property bag. Then they would take him into a room and he would change into a jail uniform in front of officers. The officers would take his clothes and add them to his property bag. Then he would enter Booking proper and sit on the benches with others being booked. Males and females are kept separate, in our jail females sit only on the first bench and the males sit on the back 4 benches. It might be a while before he is called to the desk, depending on how busy it is that day. He'd be called up eventually, and the Booking officer would ask him for things like his address, his social security number, his next of kin, his education level, etc. Then he would have his mugshot taken and he would sit back down. A little while later, he'd be called up to get fingerprinted. This is all done electronically now on a machine that scans the prints. (https://media.pennlive.com/midstate_impact/photo/15466230-mmmain.jpg) He'd get a chance to use the phone while waiting. Depending on the time of day he was arrested, he might see the magistrate judge that same day, or he might have to wait until the morning because the judge had already gone home for the day. When he does get magistrated, he'd go in front of the judge, who would read him his rights. Then the judge would set his bond amount. For a first offense, it would probably be fairly low, $1500 or so. He might even get a PR bond, which is when the judge gives him the opportunity to be released upon his own "personal recognizance". AKA, the judge deems him trustworthy enough to show up to court on his own, and he doesn't have to go through a bond company. If that were the case, he'd get a fee of $50-$100 (typically around $75) and once he paid that, he'd be good to go. If no PR bond, he's have to go through a bond company and pay whatever percent of the bond that company required. Officers are not allowed to recommend any bond companies, but there is a list of county-approved companies posted in Booking. The bondsman would then show up and meet with the inmate (through a window, think of the movies) and get the info they need, then leave and return later with a check. Once bond is posted, the releasing officer would then start the process to release the inmate. Its a process, there's a fair amount of paperwork required, and we usually tell people they'll be released within 4 hours of the bond being posted. (It doesn't always take that long, but it can). Also, the judge would likely put a protective order on the victim, where the MC could not have any contact with them, usually for about a month. Can't go near them, their workplace, or their home.
Sooo...all in all, if MC were brought to jail in the morning, they could likely get all this accomplished by late afternoon or evening. If brought in later in the day, they'd likely be looking at a night on concrete in the holding cell. We do give out blankets at night but that's about it. They'd get 3 meals at appropriate times, though the lunch and dinner would be what we call "johnny sacks" and are a couple salami sandwiches, some cookies, and an apple or orange. Not exactly high-end lol. They'd spend most of the day sitting on benches waiting, though if they wanted to lay down and sleep they could request to go to the holding cell (but it'd just be bare concrete to lay on). If they were unruly or disruptive they would be placed in the cell. We can fit about 10-15 people per cell so it'd likely be hot, stinky, and crowded.
So that's a summary, lol. If you need any more info hit me up.

 

A lot of teachers work for the Federal Government...

 

Jeesh, that isn't so bad! One of those things that make you go, "Ummmmm, it's almost worth the time/money in real life.(joking people).

That is good information though! What an informative site.

 

Yeah, we've got people from all walks of life on here with all sorts of experiences. I happen to know rather a lot about jail and incarceration so ask away if you have any more questions in that area. Been working at the county jail for about 7 years now.

 

I wrote the rough draft of the scene and it came out pretty well. It really helped having specific names for stuff like "booking officer", "Jonny-Sacks", and "Class A Misdemeanor With Bodily Injury", because that gives the setting some credibility,

It all added up to what I call a "pet the dog moment" where you get to see different sides of the characters a bit more richly. It ended up adding some humor to the story, and really ended up working well.