What You Can Get for $30 to Support Someone Facing Legal Trouble

You’ve got thirty bucks and someone you care about is in serious legal trouble. Feels like bringing a water gun to a house fire, right? Legal fees sound huge, court feels confusing, and your wallet is… not exactly thriving. 

Here’s the part nobody tells you: that $30 is not pointless. Not even close. Used right, it can take real pressure off them on a brutal day, help them stay organized for their lawyer, and keep their case from quietly sliding off the rails.

This isn’t about “fixing” their charges with pocket change. You’re not buying a miracle. You’re buying little pieces of stability that add up.

First reality check: what $30 can and can’t do

Criminal defence in Ontario, especially in Toronto and the GTA, is not cheap. Full representation for assault, DUI, or drug charges can run into the thousands. That’s just how the system’s set up. You’re not funding a trial with lunch money.

What you can do is use that $30 to cover things that make it easier for them to actually work with a lawyer, get to court, and stay sane in the middle of all this. Those “small” things matter more than people think.

If the charges are in Toronto or nearby and things are serious, you should also know there are options beyond your $30. Many criminal defence lawyers offer free initial consultations, so your real move might be helping them reach out to someone like a Toronto criminal defence lawyer for a free consultation while you cover some of the day-to-day costs that are crushing them.

So let’s break this down into actual, concrete ways your thirty dollars can pull its weight.

1. High-impact ways to spend $30 right after an arrest

The first days after someone’s arrested are chaos. Nobody sleeps, nobody thinks straight, and practical stuff gets forgotten. This is where your $30 can punch above its weight.

1.1. Transportation to court or to see a lawyer

Missing a court date is a nightmare. Warrants, extra charges, new problems. And sometimes the only thing standing between “made it to court” and “missed court” is bus fare or gas money.

• TTC day pass or Presto top‑up: Enough for them (and maybe you) to get to Old City Hall, College Park, Scarborough, North York, Brampton, or another Ontario courthouse.
• Gas money or partial Uber/Lyft: Not glamorous, but even a one‑way ride on a winter morning can be a lifesaver when they’re panicking and late.

If you’re stuck choosing between “buy them a fancy care package” or “make sure they can physically get to court,” go with the boring option. Transportation wins. Every time.

1.2. Phone minutes or data so they can talk to a lawyer

If they’re not in custody and they’re scrambling on a cheap phone plan, $30 can mean:

• Enough minutes or data to make calls to a criminal lawyer.
• Being able to email documents, photos, or contact information.
• Not having their phone cut off in the middle of the most important month of their life.

No phone = no contact with lawyers, no ability to confirm court dates, no way to coordinate rides. That’s how cases spiral.

1.3. Printing and photocopying important documents

Criminal cases in Ontario are paperwork-heavy. Disclosure (the evidence the Crown gives them), bail paperwork, character letters, timelines, all of it.

Your $30 can cover:

• Printing disclosure pages they only got digitally.
• Photocopying ID, pay stubs, or letters for a bail hearing.
• A cheap folder, binder, or dividers to keep everything in one place.

It sounds basic. It is basic. But a pile of wrinkled, half‑lost papers shoved in a backpack is not what any defence lawyer wants to see the night before court.

2. If they’re in custody: using $30 so it actually helps

When someone’s in remand or a detention centre, every dollar gets heavy. Tiny things start to feel huge because they have so little control over their life.

2.1. Money on their canteen / inmate account

Depending on the facility, $30 might go toward:

• Decent hygiene products (soap that doesn’t feel like sandpaper).
• Snacks on days when the food is barely edible.
• Paper, envelopes, and stamps so they can write to family or their lawyer.

Will it change their legal outcome on its own? No. But it can keep their stress a little lower so they’re not falling apart mentally before they even get to trial.

2.2. Phone calls from jail

Phone calls from custody are awkward and often expensive. Your $30 can help cover:

• Accepting collect calls when they desperately need to talk.
• Phone credit if the facility uses prepaid systems.

Those calls aren’t just emotional support. They’re often the only way they can coordinate with family, get information to a lawyer, or confirm what’s going on with their case.

3. Court day: “boring” things that matter more than flowers

If you’ve got one court date coming up and one $30 bill, there are a few purchases that can quietly move the needle in their favour.

3.1. Basic court‑appropriate clothing

The court doesn’t need designer suits. Judges see through that anyway. What they actually want to see is respect and effort.

With under $30, you can often grab:

• A plain button‑up shirt from a discount store.
• A neutral sweater instead of a hoodie with logos.
• Simple dark pants from a thrift shop that aren’t ripped or stained.

They shouldn’t be in flashy clothes, ripped jeans, or anything that screams “didn’t care enough to try.” You’re not dressing them for Instagram. You’re getting them to “quiet, respectful, put‑together.”

3.2. Snacks and water for a long court day

Court days can run from early morning to late afternoon. People skip breakfast because they’re stressed, don’t pack food, and then sit there for hours hungry, dizzy, and foggy.

Your $30 can cover:

• Granola bars, sandwiches, fruit, water or juice.
• Coffee before court (not ten, just one).

Does this change what the judge does? Not directly. But it affects whether they’re alert, whether they remember instructions, whether they can even absorb what the lawyer is telling them.

3.3. A cheap folder or binder for disclosure

For under $10, you can get:

• A basic binder.
• Plastic sleeves or dividers for sections of disclosure.
• Sticky notes and a pen.

Then sit with them and label things: “Police notes,” “Witness statements,” “Court dates,” “Lawyer info.” Five minutes of organizing beats hours of hunting for single pages in a backpack on the courthouse floor.

4. Bail hearings and surety help: where $30 meets responsibility

Bail in Ontario isn’t like the US “bail bondsman” setup you see on TV. Here it’s usually about sureties, people who pledge supervision and sometimes money, and promise to keep the accused on track if they’re released.

Your $30 can quietly support that process.

• Transportation for the surety: Presto top‑up or gas so they can actually make it to the bail hearing.
• Printing bail paperwork: Letters, proof of address, employment documents for the surety.
• Cheap notebook: So the surety can track conditions and dates once the person is released.

If you’re the surety, you’re stepping into a serious role. You’re promising the court you’ll supervise. Your $30 should go towards helping you keep that promise, not random extras.

5. Using $30 for legal information without playing “fake lawyer”

You’re probably tempted to Google things for them. Everyone does it. Some of that is helpful; some of it is a mess.

Here’s where a small budget actually does okay:

• Printing basic info from official sources: Legal Aid Ontario eligibility info, courthouse maps, lists of community legal clinics.
• Library cards and computer time: Access to public computers if they don’t have a decent one at home.
• A cheap notebook: For them to write down what actually happened, dates, names, times, and questions for their lawyer.

Just don’t cross the line into giving them legal advice you pieced together from five blogs and a TikTok video. Research is fine. Advice? That’s for a real criminal defence lawyer who knows Ontario law and the local courts.

6. Emotional and practical support that costs almost nothing

Your money helps. Your presence sometimes helps more.

Things that cost very little or nothing, but matter a lot:

• Showing up in court and sitting quietly in the back so they know they’re not alone.
• Helping with calendar reminders: put all court dates, probation meetings, and lawyer appointments in your phone and theirs.
• Watching their kids while they go to meet a lawyer or attend court.
• Driving or walking them to court so they actually arrive on time and not half‑panicked and late.
• Listening without pushing them to tell you every detail that should go to the lawyer first.

People underestimate this stuff. Consistent, calm help often does more than one dramatic big gesture.

7. Charge-specific ideas for how to spend that $30

Not all charges look the same. How you spend your money should shift a bit depending on what they’re facing.

7.1. Assault or domestic assault charges

With assault or domestic assault, the stakes get high quickly, especially with no‑contact orders, kids involved, or immigration issues.

Ways $30 can help:

• One counselling or anger management intake session at a low‑cost provider or community agency.
• Transit money so they can actually get to that counselling, which can sometimes support negotiations or sentencing later.
• Printing character letters from employers or community members.

But this is one of those areas where low‑budget support has a ceiling. Once things get complex, family law crossover, serious injuries, repeat allegations, they need a real criminal defence lawyer on their side, not just Google and goodwill.

7.2. DUI / impaired driving charges

With impaired driving in Ontario, you’re looking at licence suspensions, fines, and sometimes jail, especially if there was an accident or injury.

Smart ways to spend $30 here:

• Transit costs now that they can’t legally drive to work, to court, or to meetings with their lawyer.
• First alcohol education or assessment session at a community program, where affordable.
• A simple planner to track court dates, interlock requirements later, or probation conditions.

Cutting corners on legal advice in a DUI case can haunt them for years, jobs, travel, insurance, everything. Your $30 can handle logistics while you push them to get proper legal guidance.

7.3. Theft, shoplifting, or fraud charges

With theft or fraud, restitution (paying back what was taken) can sometimes make a difference in how the Crown views the case. Your $30 might not cover everything, but it can be a start.

• Partial restitution if the amount was small.
• Printing employment records or reference letters that show stability.
• Transit money to meetings with a lawyer or probation.

You’re not “buying” a good outcome. You’re helping them show they’re taking the situation seriously.

7.4. Drug charges

Drug possession or trafficking charges in Ontario can stick to someone’s life for a long time. Here, $30 is often best spent on things that show they’re addressing deeper issues.

• Initial addiction assessment at a low‑cost centre.
• Bus fare to harm‑reduction or counselling services.
• Printing proof of treatment or program attendance.

Again, paperwork and effort don’t replace a defence lawyer. They just give that lawyer something stronger to work with.

8. Stretching $30 over the life of the case

One‑time help is great. Consistent help is better.

If you can manage $30 now and maybe another $20 next month, think long‑term:

• Month 1: Transit and document printing for the first court date.
• Month 2: Phone credit so they don’t lose contact with their lawyer.
• Month 3: A counselling intake or addiction assessment, if relevant.

And if there are several people who care about this person, siblings, friends, coworkers, you can coordinate. Three people with $30 each suddenly have $90 to cover months of practical support or start putting something aside toward legal fees.

9. Free and low-cost legal help in Toronto and Ontario

Before you part with your $30, make sure you both understand what’s available for free, or close to it.

• Legal Aid Ontario: For people with low income who qualify. They might get a lawyer paid by Legal Aid, but they usually need to fill out forms and show financial info.
• Duty counsel: Lawyers at the courthouse who help with first appearances, bail, and quick advice on the day.
• Community legal clinics: Some deal with related issues like housing or immigration, even if they don’t handle criminal trials.
• Free consultations with private lawyers: Many Toronto criminal defence lawyers will speak briefly with someone about charges, options, and next steps without charging for that first conversation.

Your $30 can support the process of using those resources, printing forms, getting to appointments, keeping phone service going, rather than trying to replace proper legal help.

10. When small help isn’t enough anymore

There’s a line where “I’ll help with bus fare and phone cards” stops being enough and real legal representation becomes non‑negotiable.

Red flags that you’re there already:

• Serious charges like sexual assault, robbery, weapons, or aggravated assault.
• Impaired driving with an accident, injuries, or previous DUIs.
• They already have a criminal record or they’re on probation.
• They’re not a Canadian citizen and a conviction could affect immigration status.
• There are kids, family law, or no‑contact orders making everything messier.

When you start seeing that kind of complexity, your $30 shifts role. It’s not “money to fix something.” It’s fuel to keep them connected, transport, phone, printing, so they can actually talk to a proper criminal defence lawyer and follow through on what that lawyer tells them.

11. What to absolutely avoid while you’re trying to help

Wanting to help doesn’t protect you from making things worse. There are a few lines you never cross, no matter how desperate things feel.

• Don’t message or contact the complainant or witnesses about the case.
• Don’t “coach” people on what to say under oath.
• Don’t offer to hide, destroy, or tamper with any evidence.
• Don’t post about the case on social media. Not vague hints, not cryptic comments, nothing.
• Don’t push them to talk details with you instead of with their lawyer.

If you’re ever unsure whether something is crossing a legal line, that’s exactly the kind of question a defence lawyer should answer, not a friend, not a forum, not a TikTok creator.

12. A quick checklist: smart ways to spend your first $30

If you’re overwhelmed and just want a simple plan, use this as a starting point.

1. Do they have a way to get to court?

• If no: spend on transit, gas, or a partial rideshare.

1. Do they have a working phone and some minutes/data?

• If no: top that up so they can call lawyers and family.

1. Do they have their paperwork in total chaos?

• If yes: buy a folder/binder, print what’s missing, and help them organize it.

1. Is a big court date or bail hearing coming up?

• Make sure someone has transit covered and the basics printed.

1. Are they in custody and struggling?

• Use the money for calls or their canteen if that’s allowed.

None of this feels dramatic or “heroic.” It’s not supposed to. You’re not trying to play lawyer with $30 and a search bar. You’re making sure the person you care about can show up, stay in contact, stay semi‑organized, and not completely fall apart while the legal side gets handled.

That’s what your $30 can do. And it’s a lot more than nothing.