If you have been arrested, a New Hampshire criminal defense attorney may be able to guide you through the procedures of being released.

Release usually carries certain conditions imposed by the court, such as a prohibition against contacting witnesses to your alleged crime or the alleged victim. A no-contact order may be beneficial to you. Your New Hampshire criminal defense attorney will generally agree that it is a good idea, because any contact between you and witnesses opens you up to allegations of witness tampering. However, if the witnesses are people such as your co-workers or family, no-contact orders might be impractical.

While you may be forbidden from contacting certain people involved in your case, your New Hampshire criminal defense attorney and any investigators working for him or her will be permitted to contact witnesses or the alleged victim for the purpose of investigating your case. Your attorney might ask that the judge declare in open court that such contact between your defense attorney and witnesses is permissible. This would be helpful to your defense, since your attorney will be able to tell witnesses that the judge granted permission for him to speak to them.

Depending on the alleged crime, the court may impose a release condition that you reside with a third-party custodian for the duration of the trial; this custodian will then become responsible for monitoring your compliance with the conditions of your release and informing the court if you violate any of them. Another potential condition of release is electronic monitoring, which comes in two forms: (1) house arrest, in which a transmitting device monitors your location and restricts your movements to a specified radius such as your home; and (2) travel restrictions, in which a Global Positioning Satellite device is used to monitor your travel and ensure you do not attempt to flee the district. The court may require you to pay for the cost of electronic monitoring if it chooses to impose it on your release.

Contact experienced New Hampshire criminal defense attorney Sven Wiberg at (603) 686-5454 or www.nhcriminaldefense.com if you have more questions about what happens after you are arrested and how best to proceed with your defense.