During an arraignment hearing, a defendant will learn if he or she has the opportunity to post bail and be released from law enforcement custody. The amount of bail depends on factors like with what kind of crime the person has been charged.
Nonetheless, most jurisdictions require that a portion of the bail be paid before the defendant can be released and allowed to go home. When you or someone that you know has been arrested, you can decide if you can pay the bail by learning how much must be posted and what options are available to help you afford this amount.
Bail Bond Cost
a
Your first question after you appear at your arraignment typically is how much does a bail bond cost. The judge who presides over your arraignment hearing will set your bail according to the type of crime for which you have been arrested. You then must pay either the full amount of the bail or the required bail bond minimum in order to be released.
However, you need to know how much does a bail bond cost before you decide if you can afford to post this amount. In most jurisdictions, the minimum bond is at least 10 percent of the required amount of bail. If your bail is set at $10,000, for example, you must post a bond of at least $1000 to get out of jail.
If you decide to get this 10 percent from a bail bondsman, you will likely need to secure the bond with some sort of collateral like a car or jewelry that is worth at least the same amount. The bail bondsman will sell the collateral to pay off your bail to the court if you fail to show up for your court appearances. It saves the bail bonds company from having to absorb the cost of your bail if you abscond and do not appear for your future legal proceedings.
How Much is Your Bail?
The question of how much is bail depends on a variety of factors like what kind of crime that you have been arrested for, whether or not you have a prior criminal history and how much danger that you pose to the community. Most jurisdictions use a set bail schedule to determine how much a defendant must pay in order to get out of jail prior to his or her next court date. As a rule, felony arrests come with higher bail amounts than misdemeanors.
A typical bail schedule sets bail at:
<ul>
<li>$50,000 for Class A and Level 1 and 2 felonies</li>
<li>$20,000 for Class B and Level 3 and 4 felonies</li>
<li>$7500 for Class C and Level 5 felonies</li>
<li>$25,000 for Class C and Level 5 domestic violence felonies</li>
</ul>
Many judges do not permit bail to be paid by people charged with murder. Misdemeanor charges have bail amounts that range from $200 to $1500. Most misdemeanor bails must be paid in cash in full before a defendant can be released.
You will find out how much is bail when you appear in arraignment court. Your arraignment must be held in most cases within 72 business hours after your arrest.
How Much of Your Bail Do You Pay?
The amount of how much of bail do you pay will depend on the judge that presides over your arraignment and the jurisdiction in which your case is heard. Most courts require that at least 10 percent of your bail be paid in full prior to you being released from police custody. This 10 percent is typical if you are charged with a felony or if your bail is set above $2000.
If you are charged with a misdemeanor, you could be asked to pay the full amount of your bail before you are allowed to go home. The court will want you to pay the bail in cash rather than secure it with some sort of collateral. Once you pay the clerk at the law enforcement facility, you can typically go home within a matter of hours.
You can also have other people pay your bail for you if you do not have the money or you cannot access your bank account or bank cards from behind bars. The debacle of how much of bail do you pay can be solved by having a friend, relative or bail bondsman come to the jail facility and post the required amount for you.
Your last option to post your bail would involve signing over some sort of asset to the court. You can sign over the deed to a car, house, piece of jewelry or other liquid asset. If you are found innocent or your case is dismissed, you would be given the collateral back.
What is a Cash Bond?
When your arraignment judge orders you to pay a cash bond, you might wonder what is a cash bond and how exactly do you pay it. A cash bond is, as referenced by its name, a bond that must be paid entirely in cash.
It cannot be secured with collateral or liquid assets. It also cannot be secured with a signature.
Instead, the defendant must pay the cash entirely out of his or her own bank account. This person can also write a check or use a credit or debit card to pay the cash bond.
If the person does not have the cash in full, he or she can arrange for a bail bondsman to put up the cash bond. The money that is paid for the bond will be placed in a trust account while the defendant’s case is being heard in court.
If the defendant is found not guilty, the bond will be dissolved, and the cash will be returned to the person who paid it to the court. If the defendant is found guilty, the bond will also be dissolved. However, the payer of the cash bond may only receive a portion of the amount back.
A bail bond can be the most viable option for getting out of jail before your next court date. You can take on this expense by understanding why the court requires it and what obligations come with taking out a bond. You can also determine how much of a bond that you need to secure based on the crime for which you have been arrested.