Following arrest and the booking process, a person will usually be allowed to use a jail telephone to call a lawyer, a bail bondsman, and a relative or other person. There is no Constitutional right to make these telephone calls following arrest and incarceration and the ability to make such phone calls is usually governed by state law or by the jail’s policy.

For example, some states provide by statute that an arrested person is entitled to make at least three telephone calls at no expense if the calls are completed to telephone numbers within the local calling area, or at the person’s own expense if outside the local calling area. Some states require that these telephone calls be permitted within three hours following arrest if possible—and in some states, within one hour. And some states more generally require that an arrested person be allowed to use the telephone within a reasonable time following arrest.

Laws regarding an arrested person’s ability to make telephone calls vary from state to state and are generally located in a state’s statutes or in the state’s rules of criminal procedure.

In Connecticut, the right of an arrested person to make telephone calls after being booked is not explicitly outlined as a constitutional right, but it is governed by state statutes and the policies of the specific jail or detention facility. Connecticut General Statutes § 54-1a states that a person who is arrested has the right to communicate with an attorney at any time, and the police must inform the person of this right. While the statute does not specify the number of calls or the exact timeframe within which the calls must be made, it does imply that the arrested individual should be allowed to contact an attorney promptly. Additionally, local jail policies may provide further details on the ability to make calls to a bail bondsman, relative, or another person. These policies can vary, but they generally aim to allow such communication within a reasonable time following arrest, subject to operational constraints and security considerations.