The police arrested you for a crime you did not commit, and you are livid.
If you like social media, your natural reaction might be to vent your fury there. You know you will get lots of sympathy from others outraged at the police’s mistake. However great an idea it may seem, posting on social media about your arrest is rarely wise. Here are some reasons:
You or someone might make it easier for the prosecution to convict you
Prosecutors often check social media because they know it can be a mine of information. Let’s say they do not even have proof that you were in the area where the alleged crime occurred. Someone posting that you were at a bar in the area together gives them that.
Not everyone who reads it will believe you are innocent
Think about your social media contacts. They are not all true friends. Some may hardly even know you. Next time you apply for a job, a voluntary position or something else, someone may remember seeing something about you being in trouble with the police on your social media feed. Even if you are acquitted, that negative memory may stay with them and influence their decision.
It might also affect you on a social level. For instance, parents of your child’s school friends who see it may refuse to allow their kids to hang out at yours anymore. Or kids might taunt your kid in class about it.
Social media has so many pitfalls that your best option if facing criminal charges is to stay off it altogether. Rather than telling the world about your problem, concentrate on providing your attorney with the information they need to contest the criminal charges.