Today we’re writing about Fugitive from Justice Writs. Now what is a Fugitive from Justice Writ (FFJ Writ) and why might you need one? If you need one, you’ll need one very badly because it means you have someone in jail here on an out-of-state warrant. The idea is that they will be transferred to that other state or extradited on that warrant. And the reason that’s not a good thing is because then you’re at the mercy of someone else’s schedule and the amount of time it takes can extend into weeks maybe even longer.
If you can get your person out of jail here and let them then respond to that other state in their own way, it allows them to be in control of their life and also keep things like jobs, relationships, families, homes… Those sorts of things can be lost to people who get stuck in jail. So this helps them get out and respond to the other state on their own time, on their own schedule. It’s important that they go ahead and respond to the other state so this doesn’t happen again or get worse, but at least when they bond out here on a Fugitive From Justice Writ they can hopefully arrange to handle the matter without being dragged across the country and held for weeks.
So, it’s important if you need a Fugitive from Justice Writ that you hire someone who knows how to do it. It’s not the kind of thing you want your lawyer learning on the job. And a lot of attorneys, especially even criminal defense attorneys, don’t know what a Fugitive from Justice Writ is or what it’s used for. And when you need one it’s going to be on a pretty tight time schedule. If you wait or hire someone who drags their feet you could lose the opportunity altogether. Also, Fugitive from Justice Writs can only be done during the week when the courts are open.
Also you want to be sure to tell the person in jail not to waive extradition because if they sign that waiver to be extradited, that keeps us from being able to help. So tell them not to sign a waiver of extradition. It’s also important to get the writ process done before any extradition hearing.
Call us at the Traylor Law Firm as soon as you know you need help. If it’s on the weekend or a holiday or even late at night, go ahead and call. That way we can get everything lined up to go as soon as the courts are open. We’ll talk to you about what it’s going to take, how much it’s going to cost and what we think can be done.