The criminal justice system in California has several bail bond procedures that you will find stressful and overwhelming to navigate, especially if you are a first-time offender. This is particularly evident when you can not raise your bond money. Fortunately, you can engage the services of a reputable bail bonds company to post your bail. One advantage of hiring Carson bail bond agents is that they can quickly post your bail, ensuring your freedom to be with your loved ones as you tackle your case.
Additionally, hiring a bondsman ensures you have someone who understands the process of posting bail at your side. At Bail Bonds Company, our agents in Carson will ensure that you are released as soon as possible. We know the importance of your freedom and are dedicated to ensuring that our clients gain their freedom quickly.
What To Expect After an Arrest By Carson Law Enforcement Officers
After your arrest, the police will take you in for booking and processing. While booking and processing you, the police will:
- Take down your personal information like your name, address, date of birth, and physical description.
- Confiscate the items you have with you, such as your purse or wallet.
- Take your photo and fingerprints.
- Record the offense you have been arrested for allegedly committing.
- Check whether you have a previous criminal history.
- Take you to the holding cell.
Understanding the Carson Bail Bonds Process
After your arrest, you may post bail, an amount set by the court to secure your freedom. A bail guarantees that the California criminal justice system demands proof that you intend to honor all your court hearings. The court will set a certain amount of money as your bail; this amount is usually high to act as an incentive.
Once the court sets your bail, you can opt to post a cash bail if you can afford it, and this will secure your freedom as you await your case's outcome. You can also engage the services of a reputable and trustworthy Carson bail bonds company to post your bail. One advantage of employing a bail agent's services is that they will raise the amount of bail the court demands. When you hire a bondsman, they will take care of your bond and come up with a tailor-made repayment plan that is pocket friendly.
After posting your bail, the court orders the correctional facility to release you. You will forfeit your bail if you do not appear during all your court proceedings. It is not a guarantee that the court will grant your bail request, as it can sometimes deny you bail. The court can deny you bail due to your criminal history and the type of offense you allegedly committed.
Bail Bonds Hearing Procedure
When facing a criminal offense in Carson, you can request a bail hearing to decide whether to grant or deny you bail. When determining whether to grant or deny you bail, the judge will check these facts:
- Your family ties.
- Your financial stability.
- Prior criminal records.
- Your mental and physical health.
- Drug and substance abuse history.
- The probability of you committing a similar crime.
- Your employment track record.
- Your connection to the local community.
- The type and nature of your offense.
- If you pose any flight risk.
- If you pose a threat to the local community.
- Your reputation.
Sometimes, the court may decide to release you without posting bail but subject you to some of the following conditions:
- Release you to someone like a close family member who will promise to accompany you to the court during your court hearings.
- Order you not to leave the state
- Order you to surrender your weapons
- Order you to check in with a designated agent.
- Order you to undergo mental health treatment.
- Order you to attend community support groups like the AA meetings.
Posting Bond in Carson, LA
You can decide to pay your bail by paying the amount in cash or posting a bail bond. If you choose to post a bond, you must hire a bondsman. Most bail bond agencies usually charge 10% of the entire bail bonds amount as their premium fee. The premium is usually a nonrefundable fee that the bondsman charges and keeps after the court returns the bail.
In most cases, Carson bail bond agents will ask your family member or close friend to put up collateral for the bond. They will do this to ensure that you show up for all your court hearings, as they stand to lose if you decide not to appear for your court hearings. When you do not show up, your family or friends will be on the losing end, not the bondsman. When your family puts up collateral, it can be in cash, credit cards, or real estate. Sometimes the bail bonds company can accept personal property like jewelry.
What To Expect During Bail Bonds Hearing
When you request a bail bond hearing, you have an opportunity to ask the court to lower your bail or release you under your recognizance (OR). The law allows the judge to set, modify, or release you when lowering your bail.
Reduce your Bail
When the judge decides to reduce your bail, they will consider the following:
- Your financial ability to pay the bond.
- The severity of the crime you allegedly committed.
- If you have a criminal record.
- If you pose a threat to the community
- Your chances of showing up for all the court proceedings.
If you face severe or violent felony charges, the judge can not modify your bail to below the minimum scheduled amount without a good cause.
Raise your Bail
Under the law, a judge can also decide to raise your bail during the hearing. When you seek to have the court lower your bail, you should consult with your attorney, as the prosecution can request that the court increase it. The prosecution may highlight some information like a parole violation, which could increase your bail.
You should note that a judge can raise your bail to an amount you can not afford, and if you do not seek the assistance of a bail bonds company, you could end up in custody while you await your trial.
Release you Under Your Own Recognizance
Sometimes, you can request the judge to release you on your own recognizance (OR release). You can request an OR release as long as you are not facing a severe or violent offense with the death penalty. However, a judge may deny you an OR release if it will jeopardize public safety or if they think your release will not guarantee that you will show up for your court hearings.
How Long Will it Take a Carson Bail Bonds Company to Secure Your Release
After your agreement with a Carson bail bonds company, they will post your bail, securing your release from custody. The bail bonds agent will take your bail to the clerk, who will notify the jail officers and have them release you. It will take about 30 minutes and up to four hours for the correctional facility to set you free. Your release will depend on several issues, like the facility's jurisdiction, the correctional facility's employees, and the number of people in line waiting for their release.
Types of Bail Bonds
When facing criminal charges in California, it is crucial to do so from the comfort of your home, where you will enjoy the support of your family. Securing your release should be your priority, and you will need to understand the types of bail bonds available. Each bond has terms and conditions to which you must adhere. There are several bail bonds that you could use to secure your release, and they are:
Cash Bail
When the court sets a bond you can easily afford, you can pay it using cash bail. You will have to pay the total amount in cash, and you can pay the arresting officer or the court clerk. When posting this type of bond, you can use the following payment option:
- Cashiers check,
- Travelers check,
- Money order,
- Personal check
- Cash.
When you pay your bond in cash, you will be at a disadvantage since you will have your refund a couple of months after the conclusion of your case. Cash bonds mostly come in handy when the judge suspects you are a flight risk. A cash bond ensures the court receives payment even if you do not appear for your hearings.
Once your case is over and you keep your end of the bargain by showing up for all your court hearings, the court will refund this bond after subtracting its administrative costs. However, you stand to lose these bail bonds when you fail to show up during your court hearings.
Although posting cash bail seems like one of the simplest ways of securing your freedom, you may face some obstacles. This is especially true if the court does not accept your bond. The court may decline your cash bail if it suspects you are posting bail for illegal business proceedings. For the court to accept your cash bail bond in the form of cash, you must establish and prove the source of your funds. To avoid all the hustle and inconveniences that could crop up while posting cash bail, you can hire a Carson bail bonds agent to secure your bond.
Surety Bonds
Surety bonds are usually an agreement between you as the arrestee and the bondsman. In this agreement, you agree to pay the bail bonds company a premium fee, a percentage of the entire bond, and to put up collateral for your bond. This premium is usually 10% in most cases, though it may vary. After you pay the premium, the bail bonds company agrees to pay the rest of your bond money. If you fail to appear for your court hearings, you will forfeit this bond, and you could suffer severe consequences like losing the collateral you have put up. You should note that the premium fee is non-refundable.
Property Bonds
You can use a property bond in California, though not all states use them. When you secure your freedom by posting a property bond, you offer the court the value of your property to secure your freedom. Your property will be the collateral for your release. Property bonds take time to process as the court will have to verify the value of your property by conducting a thorough assessment before accepting. Additionally, the value of your property must be twice the amount of the bail set by the court. Since it will take the relevant authorities time to assess the value of your property, if you want to leave custody quickly, you should contact a Carson bail bonds agent to secure your release quickly.
Immigration Bail Bonds
An immigration bond is a bond that you can use to secure your freedom if you are an undocumented immigrant. When the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials arrest you, you should seek an experienced Carson bail bonds agent to help you post bail. Immigration bail bonds follow different laws from other types of bonds due to the complicated international laws and your immigration status.
Citation Release
A citation release occurs when your arresting officer cites a certain amount which you will need to pay in full for the officer to set you free.
Federal Bail Bonds
When facing federal offense charges, you can post a federal bond. Federal bonds are usually complex, and you should work closely with a Carson bail bonds agent to help you maneuver the complex federal laws and ensure you are free as you await your trial.
Skipping Bail
Failing to follow the terms and conditions of your bail or skipping bail could lead to the following:
- The judge could order you back into custody.
- You could have a second chance if the judge decides to give you another chance.
- You could face criminal charges like contempt of court.
- Forfeit or lose your bail.
If you lose your bail and have contacted a Carson bail bonds agency to post your bail, the bondsman can use the collateral to recover their money. If your family has put up the family home as collateral, your actions could leave them homeless.
Vacating A Forfeiture Order
There are some instances where you may skip bail due to circumstances or reasons you could not control, and the court could choose to vacate or recall your forfeiture order or to forgive you. For this to happen, the court allows you to make your appearance before six months elapse from when you failed, skipped, or forfeited your bail. Although there are many circumstances that a judge could deem reasonable, these are the most common ones:
- If you were sick during your court proceedings, have medical proof to back your claim.
- If you have a mental illness that prevents you from appearing in court.
- If you were physically incapacitated, which prevented you from appearing during your court hearings.
Applying for a Bail Refund
Posting your bail is the court's way of guaranteeing you will show up for all your hearings. The court usually sets bail high enough to motivate you to appear during all your court hearings. Since the amount of bail you put up is very high, and the collateral accompanying the bond is something of great value, the court will refund your bail while the bail bonds company must release the lien on your collateral.
After honoring your part of the agreement and showing up for all your court hearings, the court must refund your bail, but it will subtract some administrative fees. When applying for a refund, you should note that the duration you will have to wait for will largely depend on the facility where you posted your bail and the type of bail. For instance, if you used a property bond, you will wait until the judge releases your property’s lien, which can take some time. Cash bonds take a shorter time, and you can even have your bail refund within three months.
If you have a Carson bail bonds company post your bail and secure your release, they will retain their premium fee, usually 10% of the total bail amount. After paying the bondsman their premium fee, they should release their lien on your collateral. However, if you violate the terms of your bail or skip bail, your bail bond agents can take you back into custody to ensure you comply with your bail. Sometimes, they will need to hire a bounty hunter to track you down, and if this is the case, you or your obligor will have to cater for these extra costs.
Carson Law Enforcement Information
Carson City Jail
Carson Station Sheriff Department
Contact An Experienced Bail Bonds Agent in Carson
After your arrest, you should ensure your stay in their custody is short. When you decide to work with an experienced and reputable bail agent from Bail Bonds Company, you will quickly realize that we take an extra step to ensure your release from custody is smooth and stress-free. We also make the process efficient and affordable as we can tailor a repayment plan that suits your financial ability.
An arrest can be a traumatizing experience, and we are dedicated to securing your freedom. We will also ensure you understand the bail bonds process for your peace of mind. Contact us at 323-579-1415 to schedule your first appointment.
