Regardless of who you ask, there’s nothing pretty about deciding to go through with a loved one’s drug intervention. By the time someone decides to or is convinced by family and friends to check into a detox center, this is usually a point where their drug habits have gotten out of hand.
Having arrest warrants should not be a hindrance when it comes to signing up a loved one to get the help they need in a detox center. Like everyone else, anyone battling any drug and substance addiction has their human rights intact. From the perspective of a loved one, when someone is undergoing a drug intervention, it may seem as though the need to get them off their addiction precedes everything. But if an addict has ongoing arrest warrants, factors like the nature of the case will determine if they first need to have their day in court or go to rehab.
Can the Police Arrest You While You’re in a Detox Center?
If the police are out for you when you’ve committed a minor offense and checked into rehab, it’s usually up to them to make the call on whether to arrest you immediately or let you complete your time in rehab. From a moral point of view, there’s nothing right about arresting a recovering drug addict while they are in a detox center. This moral stance is influenced by the fact that it’s known all over that prison doesn’t make for the best place through which someone can work on fixing their drug and substance addiction. However, there are instances through which the police are mandated to exercise their arrest warrants against you, even if you’re in a detox center.
1. If you committed a serious crime, then choose to hide off in rehab
Depending on the facility’s policy, most detox centers usually veil secrecy over who is checked in at their premises. This willingness to keep their patient’s information secret is usually a measure to ensure that the recovering addict gets sufficient time and space to work through their addiction. When the nature of the crime for which you’re being sought is deemed as grievous, then the detox center will be mandated by law to give you up; otherwise, face a case of aiding and abetting. If the police have a warrant of arrest over crimes such as murder or drug trafficking, then they have the right to get you out of the detox facility. Another instance in which your rehabilitation may be short-lived on the grounds of crimes committed outside is when the police have a search warrant of the facility. On the grounds of suspecting that a serious offender may be hiding off in rehab, the police can seek a court order to search the facility and fish out their suspect.
2. When you become out of control while in the detox center
Usually, a detox center is no different from settings such as schools regarding the diversity in the background of the people registered there. With this diversity of persons in mind, there’s a likelihood that the recovering addicts are individuals with a nature of violence and disobedience on top of their drug and substance addiction. When one proves unmanageable while registered into a detox center, the staff and management are left with no other choice but to hand them over to the police. As much as the staff and management of the detox facility are concerned about the recovery of the unruly addict, handing them over to the police is usually a measure of ensuring the safety and wellbeing of every other person in the center.
3. When the crime is committed inside the detox center
Being that in a detox facility, the addicts are all just individuals enjoying rights similar to the ones they would on the outside, this usually leaves a possibility of some violating the rights of others. When an offense such as sexual assault, murder, or serious injury is committed inside the detox center, the facility’s officials will not shy away from handing over the offender to the police. While all detox centers have their in-house security personnel, there are instances that they do not have the capacity or mandate to handle and thus have to hand over to the police.
4. If you’re deemed as a flight risk
When you’ve checked into a detox center with an ongoing arrest warrant under your name, the police may be forced to come in and make the arrest if you are deemed as a flight risk. If you or a loved one would like to get started on their rehab journey, call us today at 833-497-3812