Dealing with arrest and detention in a police facility can throw you off significantly, as you temporarily lose your right to liberty and freedom of movement. Therefore, you want to work on your release as soon as possible to help you return to your everyday life. Further, regaining your freedom sooner enables you to obtain legal services to prepare for an oncoming trial, if any. One of the best ways to help you obtain a release order is by posting bail or bond. The transaction is acceptable in court, provided you can present the required money. Although you may opt for bail, your funds could hold you back, so you want to work with a reliable bail bonds agent for a smoother transaction. At Alomar Bail Bonds, we provide quality services aimed at helping our clients exit jail as soon as possible. You can count on us to deliver timely services that reduce your time in jail to secure your freedom.
Events Leading to Posting Bail
Once a suspect faces arrest, the immediate step is detention in a police facility, often a jail around the arrest area. After arriving at the station, the police will detain you to obtain the information necessary for creating a record. This is important because the assigned prosecutor will rely on this information and the evidence from investigation officers to prepare a case against you.
Hence, the main point in your detention is to undergo the booking process, which helps the officers in charge to collect your details. You can expect to undergo the process moments after arriving at the station, and the officers will instruct you on the steps.
The procedures to complete include giving your full name and identity card details, having your fingerprints and mugshots recorded, and issuing your statement, if necessary. Some procedures take longer than others based on the information that the officers require.
Understanding What Posting Bail Is
Upon completing the booking process, you can discuss your release terms with the officer in charge. This gives you a chance to inquire about how to post bail and whether you are eligible to use this method to leave police custody.
The law applicable in Arcadia protects your right to liberty, including freedom of movement. It also upholds the need for every person to face a fair criminal procedure, including the right not to face detention for unnecessarily long. Based on these provisions, bail transactions apply to help detainees exit jail, provided they meet the set requirements.
Therefore, posting bail involves paying money based on a court order for your freedom. However, the court will also issue a list of expectations and rules you should follow to retain your liberty. Thus, your release is conditional, and the court can revoke it upon your violation of the regulations.
Furthermore, the court retains discretion on whether to issue bail to an arrested suspect, which is not always automatic. Due to this, you will need to attend a bail hearing where the assigned judge will assess your case facts to establish whether you meet the eligibility criteria for release.
How to Determine the Bail Amount to Pay
Establishing the amount you can expect to pay as bail is straightforward, and you can obtain information while still at the police station. This is because most facilities have a standard schedule containing a list of offenses and the estimated range of fees payable as bail.
Hence, you can request the officers present to help you review the schedule to determine the amount you need to pay. Notably, you will need to have a charge in your name or at least an identifiable violation to track the possible bail amount because the schedule only provides the monetary estimates in categories.
Once you obtain information on your bail estimates, you want to contact a bail bonds agent within Arcadia to help you through the process. Contacting them as soon as possible will increase your chances of leaving jail sooner than waiting a few hours. This is because your service provider may receive multiple calls at a time, making it difficult to prioritize your case if you make any delays.
The Bail Hearing
Since a judge will need to assess your case circumstances to establish whether to authorize your release on bail, you want to prepare for the bail hearing. Detained persons have the right to appear in court within twenty-four hours of arrest, so you can raise a complaint if you suffered inexplicable delays. However, if your arrest occurred on weekends or holidays, you must wait until the next working day for your arraignment.
In the meantime, you can contact your criminal defense attorney and alert your bail bonds company on the estimated bail amount payable in your case. Giving them the information helps them prepare a sum of money in advance, increasing the chances of a smoother process overall.
You should also remember that since the bail schedule at the police station only gives a range of payments, the judge decides on the exact amount during the bail hearing. Therefore, your attendance is crucial.
Furthermore, your first impression of the court occurs during this hearing, as the judge may ask questions about your background and the allegations. Thus, missing your first court arraignment portrays you negatively, and may attract stricter regulations on your release, if the judge authorizes it.
Attending your bail hearing is important because you will plead guilty or not guilty during the proceedings. This means you will either plead guilty or not guilty for the allegations you face. Depending on your choice, this step can be crucial in the overall case progress.
If you plead guilty, it shows you accept your involvement in criminal activity. Thus, the judge can move straight to sentencing, so you will not have to face a lengthy trial process. Conversely, pleading not guilty means denying the charges and being ready to proceed with the trial.
As a result, your release on bail would be necessary for the second instance, as you need time to prepare for the trial and organize other elements of your life before the court proceedings begin. Furthermore, with your criminal attorney’s help, you can determine the legal implications of the crime in Arcadia.
Factors for the Judge to Consider in Determining Whether to Grant Bail
Once you complete the preliminaries during the bail hearing, the judge will assess your case further and determine whether to allow your release and the specific bail amount you will pay. During this assessment, the judge should demonstrate objectivity and impartiality. Thus, they will rely on a list of factors to justify their decision. They include:
Whether You are Likely to Flee the Country
Firstly, the judge will establish your likelihood of fleeing the country to avoid facing a criminal trial and the possible legal repercussions. They will especially focus on this factor if the evidence against you is overwhelming and the charges you face will attract serious consequences.
This is because they understand that you may have already established the risk of losing your freedom and decided to avoid the court’s jurisdiction. Fleeing in a different country often means you cannot face any legal consequences for your actions, as the laws you violated in Arcadia may not be the same in your new location.
Subsequently, this would cripple the prosecution efforts and ultimately slow down your case finalization. The outcomes will also affect the victims of your offense, so your escape will have many negative outcomes. The court is, therefore, keen on ensuring that accused persons do not flee the court’s jurisdiction to promote quicker conclusions of cases.
Hence, you can expect the presiding judge to request you beforehand to present your passport, credit cards, visa documents, and any other documentation used during international travel. Presenting them during the hearing gives you a better chance of securing your release.
Whether You Have a Criminal History
Arrested suspects with a criminal history are also likely to face more scrutiny during the hearing, as the existing record points to existing criminal engagement. Often, this translates to reduced credibility before the judge, and they may opt to impose rigid regulations on your bail release terms.
However, having an existing record does not automatically disqualify you from exiting jail on bail terms. Instead, the judge will assess whether you observed bail terms in your previous case and use it as a basis for their current decision.
If records show that you were cooperative and attended all court proceedings as required, the judge is more inclined to grant a proper release order and bail amount. Conversely, any information that portrays your inability to cooperate and appear for all court proceedings in previous cases will work to your detriment.
Moreover, the judge may assess the crimes under your record to inform their decision. If you are a repeat offender for the same crime, you are less likely to receive a favorable bail order, as the judge may conclude that you failed to reform.
The Nature of Your Offense
Additionally, the type of offense listed in your charges significantly influences the bail hearing outcome for various reasons. Firstly, some offenses limit the accused’s freedom soon after arrest because of their severity. These include murder and attempted murder. Consequently, if your case involves any crime that prohibits release before the trial, it will automatically disqualify you from leaving jail on bail terms.
Moreover, the severity of your offense may have caused increased insecurity and unrest in the community you live in, meaning that your release may attract uproar from the general public. Therefore, courts are often careful and opt not to release you if your case attracts significant public reactions.
The reasoning behind this is that the unrest will increase insecurity, thus worsening the living situation in your community. Moreover, your safety may be at risk, as your release could expose you to mob justice or other vices from aggrieved parties. Therefore, your chances of exiting jail on bail greatly depend on the offense you committed.
Your Commitment to Attend All Subsequent Court Proceedings
The presiding judge may also request you to demonstrate your commitment to attending all court proceedings by signing an agreement form. The details in the form will also include the repercussions of failing to meet your promises, including the possibility of detention for the remaining part of the trial.
While signing the agreement will increase your chances of securing your release, you also want to ensure that you can meet all the agreement terms in the document. For example, you may need to pay the full bail amount by a specified date to uphold the agreement. Therefore, you want to contact your bail bonds agent promptly to confirm that they can post the full bail amount on your behalf.
How Your Bail Bonds Service Provider Helps
Understandably, most parties may lack the necessary funds to help them exit jail by posting bail themselves. This is mostly because your arrest and detention may be unexpected, so sourcing funds in the quickest time possible may be challenging. Thus, working with an Arcadia bail bonds company offers a more convenient remedy for exiting jail.
After contacting the bail bonds service provider, they will request information to help track your case and begin the bail process. You should ensure that you provide your full name, the charges you face, and your current detention location to help your assigned bail bonds agent begin the application process.
Your case may also involve more complicated elements that require you to clear with the detention officers first. For example, you may need to leave your vehicle at the station if you face accusations of voluntary manslaughter, as it will be an exhibit.
If so, you can request your bail bonds agent to discuss the necessary steps to satisfy on top of posting bail. Having the information beforehand prepares you to meet the requirements without enduring additional delay in jail.
Bail payment processes will often take a few hours to complete, so you can expect to exit jail soon after contacting a bail bonds service provider. The service is responsible for paying the full monetary figure to allow for your release to the relevant court office. Since your bail bonds agent works with an established company, they can easily access funds without facing questioning or additional scrutiny on their source of funds.
After you leave jail, you can discuss the payment terms for the services you received. In Arcadia, many bail bond companies charge a standard service fee of 10% of the total bail amount required in court. Thus, your bill is directly proportional to the figure the judge issued during the bail hearing. Based on this, you can start preparing for your payments to your bail bonds service provider after the bail hearing concludes.
Sometimes, your service fee may add up to a high charge, especially if the presiding judge sets your initial bail amount highly. As a result, you may be unable to pay your bail bonds company the full amount upfront. If so, you can find a payment plan and settle for the most convenient and workable option.
However, if you cannot pay your service fee within the agreed time, your bail bonds service provider can recover valuable property from you as collateral. This is because the company will have spent its funds for your release, so recovering their service charge becomes necessary.
Many clients meet their financial requirements on time, thanks to our friendly repayment plans. Hence, the possibility of a bail bonds company using your property as collateral should not discourage you from seeking their services.
Jail and Court Information
Contacting your loved ones after their arrest is important, as they can provide information to help speed up their release process. For example, your bail bonds service provider may request personal information known only to the arrested person. Thus, information access is necessary for jail release.
Important jail and court details for facilities around Arcadia include:
Pasadena Courthouse
Arcadia Police Department
Arcadia Jail
Find a Bail Bonds Service Provider Near Me
When you face arrest for alleged criminal involvement, you want to exit jail in the shortest time possible to help you prepare for the subsequent events. These may include a court trial or negotiating with the relevant prosecutor to drop the charges. Since these processes are important to complete expeditiously, you want to partner with a trusted bail bonds company to fast-track your release. With Alomar Bail Bonds, you will receive quality bail bond services tailored to meet your needs and help you leave jail quickly. Over the years, we have worked with hundreds of clients in Arcadia, California, to help them leave police custody and begin working on their cases. If you or a loved one requires additional information on how to access bail bond services, contact us at 626-449-4118.