The California criminal justice system has several procedures that may overwhelm you, especially if it's your first arrest. After your arrest, your priority is securing your freedom and developing a defense strategy to have the court dismiss or reduce your charges. Posting bail is one way to ensure you are free while waiting for trial.
You should use the services of a trusted and experienced Artesia bail bonds service to help you when posting bail. At Bail Bonds Company, we understand the California criminal justice system and are in a position to help you maneuver and secure your freedom within the shortest time possible.
We understand your desire to be out of custody and reunite with your family. We are committed to helping you secure your freedom by posting bail and giving you pocket-friendly repayment terms.
What Happens When Law Enforcement Agents Arrest You In Artesia?
After your arrest, law enforcement officers keep you in a cell and book you into their system. The booking process is as follows:
Take Your Information
The arresting officer will ask you to provide the following information:
- Name.
- Date of birth.
- Physical address.
Take Record Of Your Alleged Crime
After taking your information, the arresting officer will take note and let you know the crime for which you are facing charges.
Take Your Biometrics
The arresting or booking officer will take your fingerprints and picture and assess your health. If you have any health concerns, you should let them know at this point. They will then confiscate your personal belongings, like your phone, purse, and keys. Once all this is done, they will put you in a holding cell. You can post bail if you do not have to wait for a bail hearing.
Understanding the California Bail Process
After your arrest, the law allows you to deposit money to secure your freedom while you wait for your trial. The court requires you to post bail to honor all your court appearances. Upon completing your case, the court reimburses your bail minus its charges. However, you may lose your bail money if you fail to appear in court for your hearings.
Bail Hearing
Sometimes, you may post bail after a bail hearing. During a bail hearing, the prosecution and defense attorneys will present their arguments for and against your request to post bail.
When determining your bail, the court will consider the following:
- Your reputation.
- Your employment status.
- The duration of your stay in your local community.
- If you are a threat to your family and community.
- If you have a criminal history.
- Type of your offense.
- Your mental health.
- Financial stability.
- Your relationship with family and friends.
- If you have a record of not showing up to your court hearings after posting bail.
- If you are likely to commit another crime.
When you appear before the judge for your bail hearing, your attorney could request the court release you on your own recognizance (OR) or reduce your bail. After listening to both sides (the prosecution and the defense teams), a judge may decide to modify your bail upwards or reduce it.
Bail Reduction
During a bail hearing, your defense attorney can ask the court for a bail reduction. If you want the court to reduce your bail amount, you should talk with your defense attorney, as your Artesia bail bonds agency cannot request a reduction. A judge will reduce your bail after considering the following facts:
- Your ability to post bail.
- The severity of your alleged offense.
- Whether you are a flight risk or not.
If a judge decides to reduce your bail during the bail hearing, they will have to impose other terms and conditions for your release. These terms and conditions include:
- Placing you under house arrest.
- In the case of a DUI offense, the court may require you to surrender your driving license.
- Keeping distance and having minimal or no contact with the alleged victim.
- The court may need you to install an interlocking device on your car.
- The court may prohibit you from leaving California.
- and release you into the care of someone else.
- Surrendering your weapons.
- Join community activities.
- and enroll in a mental health or anger management program.
Raising your Bail Bond
After the hearing, the court may decide to raise your bail. Therefore, you must consult with your attorney when appearing before the judge for your hearing. Some of the issues that could lead to an increase in your bail include violating your parole.
Sometimes, a judge may release you under your own recognition (OR). A release under OR means that the judge sets you free without posting bail with the understanding that you will honor all your court appearances without fail. In most cases, a judge will release you under OR and impose several terms and conditions where the court aims at protecting the community's safety, health, or welfare.
A judge will release you under OR if and when:
- You are not a flight risk.
- you do not have a criminal record.
During your bail hearing, the court will determine and set your bail, and the court expects you to post it immediately. Although you may be able to pay for your own bail, it is advisable to have a bail bonds agency post your bail. In most cases, the court will set your bail at an amount you cannot afford.
You could use a reputable Artesia bail bonds service to post your bail. After you post your bail, the court will order your release from custody. When engaging the services of a bondsman, check their repayment plan and choose one that is pocket-friendly.
Types of Bail Bonds in California
Before posting bail, you should ensure you understand the types of bonds readily available. Every bond has a different set of rules, laws, and regulations. The types of bail bonds in California include:
Cash Bonds
For this type of bail bond, you will pay your total bail bond in cash, and the court will refund your money after you attend all your court hearings. You can post your bail by paying the court clerk or the arresting officer your cash bail. One advantage of posting this type of bail is that you have several payment options that you can utilize, like:
- Money order.
- Cash.
- Travelers check.
- personal check.
- cashier check.
Posting cash bail can have some disadvantages in that you will have a refund of your money within 90 days after the successful conclusion of your trial. Posting cash bail also comes with obstacles, especially when the court fails to accept your bail bond. The court can refuse to accept your cash bail if it thinks you are using money from illegal or fraudulent activities. While posting cash bail, you must prove to the court the source of your source of the funds.
Surety Bonds
When the court sets your bond, and you realize that you cannot post it, you can engage the services of Artesia bail bonds agency. Your bondsman will post your full bail; you must pay them 10% of your total bail amount upfront. By doing this, you guarantee that you will clear the remaining balance later.
Property Bonds
You can use your property as collateral to secure your freedom from jail. However, this type of bail bond will take time to secure your release, as you will require government agents to inspect your property.
Own Recognize Release
You can have the judge set you free without posting bail by gaining their trust. You will have to promise to honor all your court hearings.
Immigration Bonds
You will qualify to post this type of bond if you are a non-citizen in the U.S.A. and facing international law charges. To post this type of bond, you will need to engage the services of an experienced Artesia bail bonds agency to help you post bail.
What To Expect When you Hire a Bail Bonds Agency in Los Angeles To Post Bail
When you seek the services of a reputable bail bond dealer, you will need to understand the process and what the bondsman expects from you. The method of securing the services of a bail bondsman takes less than 30 minutes. When visiting the offices of an Artesia bail bonds service, you should be ready to provide them with the following information:
Name
When you retain the services of a bondsman, they will expect you to provide them with your full legal name, and if you are posting bail for someone else, you should provide their name along with yours.
Contact Information
Most Artesia bail bond companies will expect you to provide your contact details. These contact details include your phone number, email address, street address, social media handles, and friends and family's contact details.
Employment Information
Your bondsman will expect you to provide proof of employment, the name of your supervisor, and their contact information.
Legal Documentation
Most bail bond companies in Artesia will expect you to provide legal documents to support the information you provide. Bail bonds dealers will use the information on your legal documents to check your criminal history. Some of these legal documents include the following;
- Identification card.
- Birth certificate.
- Driver's license.
- Passport.
Payment Process After Bail Bonds Application
If you realize you can afford to post bail, you can contact Artesia bail bonds agency and have them post your bail for a fee. You can also request that they develop a tailored repayment plan that meets your needs. Working with a bondsman makes the process easier as you will have someone guide you throughout the procedure.
Once your bondsman verifies your details, they will immediately post your bail. At our agency, we aim to ensure you are free, and we achieve this by posting your bail upfront so that you can leave jail as soon as possible.
Securing Your Release After Posting Bail
Once your bail bonds agency posts your bail, they will inform the court and have the court release you. After you post bail, a jail clerk will notify the correction facility officers to release you. Your freedom could take around 20 minutes or up to four hours, depending on the number of people waiting for their release ahead of you, the correctional facility's jurisdiction, and the number of employees at the correctional facility.
Non-refundable Bond Premium
When you hire an Artesia bail bonds service to post your bail, they will do so and benefit from the non-refundable bond premiums. California's non-refundable bail bond premium is 10% of the total bail bond amount. If the court sets your bail at $50,000, you will pay the bail bonds agency $5,000 upfront as your non-refundable bond premium.
Sometimes, your bail bonds agency may require you to provide collateral, which you may forfeit when you fail to show up for your court hearings. Since your bail bondsman risks losing their money if you fail to show up for your court proceedings, they will take some precautions to ensure you show up on time for your court hearings. Most bail bond companies will take the following precautions to safeguard their interests:
- Contact you before a hearing and remind you of every upcoming court hearing.
- Expect you to visit their offices regularly to ensure you do skip bail.
- Require a loved one to put up collateral for your bail bond. By doing this, they will be putting more pressure on you to ensure you show up for your court hearings as scheduled.
Skipping Bail
If you decide to skip bail and leave town, you will:
- Forfeit the entire amount of your bail bond.
- Face additional criminal charges.
- Have the bondsman hire bounty hunters to help bring you back into Artesia for your court proceedings.
Violating Artesia Bail Bonds Terms
When you violate your bail bond terms and conditions in Artesia, a judge may decide to do the following:
- Have you detained as you await your trial.
- Give a second opportunity and let you out on bond.
- Charge you contempt of the court.
- Have you forfeit your bail money.
If you forfeit your bail money, it means that if you posted cash bail, you lose the entire amount. On the other hand, if you have a bail bonds dealer post your bail, they may use your collateral to help cover their losses.
Skipping Bail With A Valid Reason
Sometimes, you may violate your bail bond terms due to unavoidable circumstances. If you prove that you broke your bail terms due to circumstances beyond your control, the court may vacate your forfeiture order and forgive you. However, you must show up within six months after skipping bail to have the court vacate your forfeiture order. Some of the unavoidable reasons that the court may deem reasonable include:
- If you are mentally incapacitated.
- If you were under arrest in another correctional facility.
- If you are suffering from a medical condition and have evidence of the same.
Having your Bail Refund From The Court After the Completion of Your Case
After completing your case, whereby you show up to all your court proceedings, you have the right to your refund. If you posted cash bail, you should have your refund within a period that does not exceed 90 days.
However, if you posted a property bond, you will have to wait for a longer period as the judge will have first to release the lien on your property. You should note that you will not have a full refund of the money you paid, as the court will deduct its administrative fees.
Having Your Bail Refund From Your Bail Bondsman After the Completion of Your Case
Once you hire the services of an Artesia bail bonds agency, you will have to pay a non-refundable premium, which in most cases is 10%, and put up collateral. After successfully meeting your bond terms and conditions, the bail bonds agency should surrender your property.
Los Angeles Police Department Contact Information
Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)
700 E. Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 866-444
Los Angeles Sheriff Department Contact Information
Los Angeles Sheriff's Department
211 W Temple Street,
LA, California 90012
(213) 229-1700
Artesia City Police Department Contact Information
Artesia City Police Department
5130 Clark Ave
Lakewood CA 90712
(562) 623-3500
Contact A Reputable Bail Bonds Company Near Me
Spending time in jail after an arrest can be traumatizing. You will need to ensure this stay is as short as possible. The only way to quickly regain your freedom after an arrest in Artesia is to hire a reputable bail bonds agency.
At Bail Bonds Company, your freedom is our top priority, and we will ensure that your release from custody is stress-free. We will also walk you through the entire process and advise you accordingly. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us, and we will gladly answer them. For more information, call us at 323-579-1415; our bondsmen are only a phone call away.
