The call usually comes in the middle of the night. I'm not sure if this is a hard and fast rule, but it seems to be the norm. If often goes something like this:
You: "Hello?" (at night we always wondering who in the world would call at that hour.)
Officer: "The is Officer Smith and I have your son in custody at the County Jail."
You: "You have the wrong number. My son is asleep in his bedroom."
Officer: "Ma'am, is your son John Gregory Adams?"
You: (heart pounding) "Yes. Are you certain it's him?"
Officer: "Yes, Ma'am. I have his driver's license in my hand. He lists your address."
You: (thunder roaring in your head) "Uh...what do I do? Where is he? What did he do?"
Officer: "You can contact the County Jail for further information."
A moment later you hang up and sit shaking on the side of the bed. The first thing you do is race down the hall and throw open the door to your son's room. Snapping on the lightyou can see his bed is empty and the window is open. Still, you walk to the bed a lift the covers.
Why do we do this? We do it to work through our natural denial. The officer had to be wrong. Johnny had to be in his bed, etc. Denial will stay with us through many days ahead and many steps through the court system. Some people never get past this stage. "My son/daughter would never do this. Someone else is to blame."
Although the scene above is fiction, it closely parallels my own experience and that of many others who have walked this same path. That phone call is totally life changing. Nothing will ever be the same again. It will change how you think, change what you do and change your focus. You will be plunged into an entirely different world than the law-abiding world you have lived in.
Stay with me while I walk through the process of Jail 101 for people who are law-abiding and are thrust into this strange world of legal jargon and unfamiliar process.
