Bail is the amount of money a criminal defendant must pay to the court for an early release. By posting bail, you avoid the psychological trauma of staying in jail. After your arrest, the court can take up to a year to schedule your trial. Spending this time in jail will affect both your professional and personal life. You can post bail by paying the total amount set by the judge to the court clerk, property, or posting a bail bond.
While posting cash bail is an easy and quick way to secure your freedom, courts in California set high bail amounts. Additionally, attempting to post a cash bail could cause suspicions and open doors for financial scrutiny. By seeking the services of a bail bond company, you can ensure that your loved one is home while keeping your financial life private.
With many bail bond agencies claiming to be the best, finding the right one may be challenging. At Alomar Bail Bonds, we are dedicated to ensuring a quick and stress-free release for all our clients in Covina, CA.
Bail in California
Bail is a promise or security you give to yourself or another criminal defendant to assure that you will follow through with your case after a release pending trial. Due to the crowding in jails and inconvenience caused to the defendants’ lives, almost everyone is entitled to a release on bail in California. Instead of sitting in jail as you wait for trial, bail allows you to be with your family, go to work and probably meet with your attorneys to discuss the defense for your criminal charges.
Immediately after the booking process, you will appear before a judge, and you can know immediately if your crime is bailable. Some defendants are fortunate enough to secure freedom without monetary commitments, known as the recognizance release. A release on recognizance means you promise to show up for trial. In most cases, defendants who qualify for an OR release are ones with no criminal record and individuals facing charges of minor, non-violent offenses.
Other defendants who do not have quality or recognizance release must buy their freedom using bail. You can post a cash bail and walk free if the funds are ready. Unfortunately, the high bail amount makes it impossible for some people to post cash bail. Other people may be discouraged from using cash bail because of the financial investigations that could arise from this action.
California law ensures that defendants in the state have an equal chance at buying temporary freedom by allowing them to post a bail bond. Bail bond companies work to finance eligible defendants to post bail. At a small fee, a Covina bail bond agent will post your bail and guide you throughout the process.
In addition to the favorable costs, bail bond agents have extensive knowledge of the process and can make the process easier for you and your loved one. If your loved one is stuck behind bars for lack of bail money, you should not shy away from contacting a bail bond agency for help.
Immigration Bond
An immigration bond is an amount paid by illegal aliens or green card holders in exchange for a release from the ICE. All kinds of people commit crimes in California. If an illegal immigrant is cited for a crime, they are held by the department of immigration, awaiting the outcome of their case. If you are not a flight risk or a threat to the community, you are eligible for an immigration bond. There are several types of immigration bonds you can explore, including:
Delivery Bond
A delivery bond allows you to return to normal life in the United States while your criminal case is pending. While the immigration bond is higher than the normal bail, the judge still considers the specific factors of your case when determining the exact amount you must pay. After your release on the delivery bond, the court expects you to return to the court dates.
Facing criminal charges as an illegal immigrant or green card holder is devastating, and the consequences could include deportation. Therefore, a release on the delivery bond is an opportunity for you to hire and retain an immigration attorney to guide you through your case.
Supervision Bond
Often, there are significant delays in the system before the final order is issued to remove a detained alien from the United States. Sometimes, the delay may be due to a denial from the receiving country. While awaiting everything to clear out, the ICE can release you on a supervision bond. This type of immigration bond aims at ensuring that you will follow all the guidelines of the supervision contract. A breach in the instruction can result in a bond penalty.
Public Charge Bond
When you face immigration charges and are detained by the ICE, the public charge bond ensures that you do not accept assistance from the government. The obligations for a public charge bond remain in place until you leave the United States permanently, die, or are neutralized.
Voluntary Departure Bond
If the immigration department detains you, you have an option to leave the United States and avoid criminal charges. For defendants willing to leave voluntarily, California law allows your release from ICE custody on a voluntary departure bond. This eliminates the need to remove from the United States forcefully. With such a release, the court imposes periods within which you must leave the country.
Once you are out of the United States, you will receive the total amount you paid as a bond. However, failure to leave will attract bail forfeiture and detention. When you determine that your offense is bondable, you can pay it in cash or through an immigration bail bond. With sufficient, you can present the full bail amount and move along with the action you choose.
However, when the amount is significant, paying in cash could remove the funds you need to hire a legal team for your immigration case. Therefore, purchasing a bail bond may be wise in this case. Unlike normal bail, where the premium is 10% of the bail, bail bond companies charge a premium of up to 15% for immigration bonds.
In addition to the service fee, a Covina Bail bond agent will require you to provide collateral for the immigration bond. Some types of collateral you can use in this case include:
- Real property. Assets that fall under the category of real property include land or real estate whose value is greater than your immigration bond.
- Credit card. A bail bond company can accept your credit card as collateral for a bail bond. However, the bail bond agent must seek approval from the credit company for the amount to be pledged as a bond.
- Credit letter from a bank. Receiving a letter of credit from the bank means that that particular institution vouches for your release.
Ways to Reduce your Bail in Covina
The bail amounts set by a judge could mean the difference between spending time in jail and going home to continue with your life and spend time with your family. The amount pronounced by a judge is not final. There are several ways through which you can fight to have your bail reduced, including:
Bail Reduction by Attorney Application at Arraignment
Arraignment is your first appearance before the judge. At this point, the prosecutor reads your charges, and you have the opportunity to enter a plea. Your attorney can help you apply for a bail reduction at this stage. Some of the arguments you can make the judge when convincing them to reduce your bail includes:
- You have strong ties to the community.
- You have stable employment in the area.
- Releasing you will not pose a risk to other people.
Bail Reduction Motion
When your bail amount is too high, you do not want to remain in jail for lack of bail money. You can file a motion to have it not reduced. The United States Constitution prohibits excessive bail amounts. Your attorney can convince the court that the bail is too much under your circumstances.
Reduction of Bail After Change in Circumstances
Bail amounts often vary depending on the specific circumstances of your case. When police officers arrest you for violating the law, the prosecution files charges for the most serious offense that their evidence can support. Sometimes, there are exaggerations that your attorney can uncover within no time. If there is a change in the circumstances of your case, such as a reduction of your charges or dismissal of some charges, there may be a basis to reduce your bail.
Bail Denial in California
In recent years, the state of California has attempted to reform its laws on bail. This ensures that all defendants have an equal chance at securing a release from jail before a trial. The court sets your bail at the initial appearance, and the amounts vary depending on bail schedules and the specific circumstances of your case. While most defendants are entitled to a release on bail, there are cases where the judge denies bail, and the defendant must remain in jail until the court determines the outcome of their criminal cases.
Some of the common reasons for a bail denial include:
Severe Crimes
The seriousness of your crimes and charges is a significant factor that guides a judge’s decision when setting your bail. If you face criminal charges for any of the following offenses, the judge will deny you the right to go home with a pending trial:
- Capital offenses. If you face charges for an offense punishable by a death sentence, the court considers you a flight risk and may order that you remain in jail.
- Violent felonies. When the court releases a defendant’s bail, the safety of other community members is a concern. Defendants facing charges for violent felonies may pose a threat to other people.
- Felony offenses where you have issued criminal threats to another person.
Flight Risk
Securing a bail release means the court trusts you to return for trial or other court proceedings. The court, in this case, assumes that you will remain in the jurisdiction as you wait for the outcome of your criminal case. In addition to [resenting the bail money, other factors that could make it convenient for the court that you will not skip bail include strong family and community ties. If the judge has a reason to believe that you will not return to court when your case resumes, they may order that you remain in jail.
History of Missing Court Dates
During a release on bail, the court issues several orders, one of which is the requirement to appear for court proceedings. When setting your bail, the judge reviews your conduct from past arrests. If you have a history of skipping bail or failing to obey court orders, it indicates that you have no regard for the court, and the judge’s decision may be to set a high bail or deny it.
Repeat Offenses
The California justice system is not lenient on repeat offenders. The habits of continued criminal activity suggest a lack of rehabilitation from programs and privileges you receive from the court system. Any judge who reviews your request for bail after an arrest for a repeat offense will have difficulty granting you bail.
Parole Hold
When you are released on parole in California, the court mandates that you avoid engaging in criminal activity as one of the conditions. If you commit a crime and face an arrest while on parole, your parole officer can place a parole hold. In this case, bail is unavailable.
Extradition Warrant
An extradition warrant is issued for a man accused of being a fugitive. If you commit a crime in another state and flee to California, law enforcement officers will still arrest you. However, you are not entitled to a release on bail under these circumstances. Instead, they hand you over to the state where you committed the crime.
The fate of Bail Money
Bail does not serve as a punishment for criminal conduct in California. If you bail a loved one out and they keep the promise of returning to court as scheduled, the court gives your bail money back. If a Covina bail bond agent pays your loved one’s bail, the agent will collect the entire bail amount. The court releases your bail money under the following circumstances:
- The criminal case ends in your favor. Some of the factorable outcomes in a criminal case include acquittal or dismissal of your charges. In this case, the court releases your bail within fifteen days.
- You face a conviction. If the court finds you guilty of your charges or you enter a plea deal and are sentenced to jail time, the court will not keep the amount posted for your bail. However, if you used a cash bail and your conviction invokes a fine, the court can deduct the fine from your bail money.
- You surrendered for a good cause. When a bail bond company pays your bail, the bail bond agent is responsible for ensuring that you follow through with the bail conditions. If you attempt to flee or fail to stay in contact with the bail bond company, they may send out bounty hunters to arrest you. When a bounty hunter finds you before a bail forfeiture, the bail bondsman can collect the amount they put up for your bail.
An arrest for violating the law in Covina, CA, will attract detention in any of the following jails:
The following are some courts in Covina, CA:
Corrections Department
West Covina Jail
Covina Police Department
The following are courts serving Covina, CA:
JJV Court Survives
West Covina Courthouse
Find an Experienced Bail Bond Agent Near Me
When you face an arrest in California, the prosecutor files charges against you, and you are booked into a jail cell. Typically, you are supposed to remain in the cell while awaiting the outcome of your criminal trial. Sitting behind bars can take away from the time you need to spend with your family and affect your work. Fortunately, California law allows defendants in the state to secure a temporary release by posting bail. Bail is an agreement between a defendant and the court, and it acts as an assurance that you will return for the court proceedings and trial.
The first thing on your mind when you face an arrest or learn of a loved one’s arrest is whether or not you can post bail. Depending on the seriousness of your crimes and other facts of your case, the bail amount may be too high for you and your family. If you cannot post cash bail, you can opt for a bail bond which is cheaper and more convenient. At Alomar Bail Bonds, we will provide the total amount you need to post your bail for a 10% fee. Our Covina bail bond agents are available round the clock to guide you through the bail process. Call us today at 626-449-4118.