The two ways an arrest happens
Most arrests happen one of two ways. An on-view or on-scene arrest is when an officer arrests you at the time, at a traffic stop, a call to a home, or a store. A warrant arrest is when the police apply to a court first, a judge signs an arrest warrant, and you are picked up later or turn yourself in.
Family violence arrests are usually on-scene, because Connecticut requires officers to arrest when they find probable cause of a family violence crime, whether or not anyone wants them to.
Booking and what the police take
After the arrest you are taken to the police station and booked: photographed, fingerprinted, and your information recorded. The police complete a report and decide the charges, though the prosecutor can change them later.
You may be asked to give a statement. You do not have to, and in almost every case you should not. Politely saying you want a lawyer and will not answer questions is not an admission of anything; it is your right, and it cannot be used against you.
Your right to stay silent
This is the part that matters most and costs nothing. You are not required to explain, apologize, give your side, or clear things up. People talk themselves into worse charges at this stage more than at any other. The officers are not deciding your guilt, and talking will not get you released faster.
Give your name and identifying information, then say you want to speak to a lawyer and stop. Do not discuss the case with anyone at the station, in the holding cell, or on a jail phone, which is recorded.
Getting released
After booking, the police set a bond or release you on a written promise to appear. If you can post the bond, you are released with a court date. If you cannot, you are held until arraignment on the next business day, where a judge reviews the bond.
The bond and bail page explains the types of bond and how a bondsman works. Either way you leave with a date for your arraignment, your first court appearance, explained on the arraignment page.
What to do after you are released
Write down everything you remember while it is fresh, but keep it to yourself and your attorney; do not post about it, do not text about it, and do not contact anyone the case involves, especially if a protective order was issued.
If one was, the protective orders page explains what it bars and how to challenge it.
Read every piece of paper the police gave you, note your court date, and reach out to a defense attorney before that date. The earlier an attorney is involved, the more they can do, including at the arraignment.
Which charge you are facing shapes what happens next. See DUI, domestic violence and family violence, assault, drug possession, and larceny and shoplifting. Your case is heard at the court that covers the town of arrest, listed on the court pages.
The what to expect page puts this stage in the context of the whole case.