As a leading bail bonds agency in Indiana, we’ve often seen friends and family members who get caught up in their own excitement when a loved one is released from jail.
While it’s a happy occasion, you should also be aware of how to behave with your just-released friend, so that you can avoid potentially upsetting them.
Here are a few things that you shouldn’t do:
1. Not Showing Up
When an inmate walks out of prison knowing they’re free, it’s a huge moment for them and one that they shouldn’t have to experience alone.
If they don’t have a partner, spouse, or immediate family coming to pick them up, be sure to step in and fulfill the responsibility.
Seeing their closest family and friends waiting for them on the outside is a memory they won’t forget.
2. Not Giving Them Their Space
It’s understandable if you’re happy about your friend’s release, but try and give them some time to catch up and get used to being on the outside.
The rigorously controlled environment inside a prison can be hard to forget, so your friend’s behavior might appear awkward to you, at least initially. This is quite normal and nothing to be worried about.
Allow them some space to get their bearings and adjust to their newfound freedom. They might not ask you for this directly, but they’ll appreciate it.
3. Overwhelming Them
After sharing a small space with several people and having to adhere to a strict routine, your friend would probably want to have some peace, quiet, and privacy.
Respect their needs, and don’t force them to socialize unnecessarily.
Most of the time, recently released prisoners just want some time to live a normal day-to-day life on their own terms. They want to wake up when they want, go to bed when they want, and make their own decisions about their daily routine. Therefore, don’t overwhelm them with demands and always put their wishes first.
4. Making Jokes About Their Imprisonment
While imprisoned, many inmates use humor as a coping mechanism to help them come to terms with their situation and deal with their time on the inside.
Once they’re released, they often continue to make jokes about their ordeal in other people’s presence. However, remember that it is their right to deal with their circumstances how they want. You shouldn’t crack jokes or make light of what they’ve been through.
Laugh at their jokes, but don’t make your own. If you do, you run the risk of either offending your friend or hurting their feelings at this critical time in their life.
5. Enabling Them
During their first few weeks and months of freedom, having the support of their loved ones is crucial for former inmates.
At the same time, it’s important that you don’t enable them. Freedom comes with obligations.
Help them in sorting out their finances, getting a job, looking after their physical and mental wellbeing, and taking steps toward being a contributing member of society. You shouldn’t, however, encourage them to let loose and do whatever they want.
Part of being a good friend is ensuring your friend’s successful reentry into the world as a free person with rights and responsibilities.
For more than a decade, the people of Indiana have counted on our family-owned-and-operated 24-hour bail bonds agency for affordable bail bonds service.
Whether you need 24-hour bail bond services in Kosciusko County, a bail agent in Wabash County, or bail bonds in Allen County, enlisting the help of 24-hour bail bondsmen has never been easier. Contact us today to get started.
