Everyone makes mistakes, and sometimes these mistakes can result in arrests. The experience can be stressful and frightening, mainly when the apprehension results in detention. Bail is a scheme that can help you exit police custody before trial. Unfortunately, the amount can be expensive for you to consolidate. Nonetheless, with the help of the Bail Bonds Company, you can resume your regular life by obtaining financial support to clear bail in Lawndale.
Understanding Lawndale Bail
When you are detained in custody over suspicions of committing a crime, you can exit jail through a recognized bail or citation release. Bail is the money or property you post with the court to assure them you will attend hearings as planned. The judge decides the amount you will post, as the schedule provides. You can use cash or property to pay the figure.
Nevertheless, if the sum is unaffordable, you can hire a Lawndale bail bonds provider to post the funds on your behalf in exchange for a fee. You will stay in jail until the matter is resolved if you cannot use any of these means to exit detention.
Lawndale Bail and Surety Bonds Types
A jail release can be challenging, considering the many bail options available. The standard bail and surety bonds you can explore to exit jail in Los Angeles County are:
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Citation Release
A citation is the best and easiest way to be released after apprehension pending trial. The advantage of a citation is that you will not be booked or detained in jail. Additionally, you do not apply for this form of release. Instead, the arresting officer writes the citation, a document informing you of your offense, and the date you should appear for a hearing. Traffic offenders are typically issued a citation instead of being booked into custody. The issuance of a citation is the choice of the stopping officer. Therefore, you must prepare to pay bail when they fail to provide this release option.
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Cash Bail
As the name implies, cash bail is posted in cash. You can use this pretrial release option when you have the money the court requires upfront. California offers several payment modes for cash bail, including money orders, credit cards, cashiers, and travelers' checks. Once you have paid the funds, you will be set free.
Even though posting bail in cash seems easy and productive, it has its challenges. When the judge suspects you acquired the money through an unlawful deed or transaction, they will place your release on a temporary hold until they can corroborate the funds were obtained legitimately through a hearing. The burden of proof will be on your side, as you must prove to the court that you obtained the funds legally. When you are successful, your bail will be approved.
However, if the judge is not convinced about the legitimacy of the funds, your bail will be canceled or raised to assure your future appearances. The reasoning behind the increased bail is that if the funds were acquired illegally, you would have no problem forfeiting it by skipping bail.
If you have hired an attorney for legal guidance after arrest, they will recommend that you rely on a Lawndale bail bonds service to help you keep a low profile, primarily when charged with a drug-related crime. That way, the court will not need to investigate your finances.
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Surety Bail or Bond
The surety or bail bond is the most common type of Lawndale bail. With the challenging economic times, few defendants can afford to deposit bail upfront. Instead of staying in jail because you cannot consolidate the required cash, you can obtain Lawndale bail bonds using a reputable bondsman. The process is easy because you only need to agree to the contract terms and pay a 10% service premium, and you will be out of jail within a short duration. If the bail is $5,000, you will only pay a $500 non-refundable fee.
Your Lawndale bail bonds service acts as a lender. They will require collateral to guarantee the hefty amount they are depositing with the court. You can use a title or car deed to secure the bond. When you skip town, and the bondsman loses their funds to the court, they can cut their losses by seizing the collateral and selling it to recover the losses.
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Recognizance Release
Like a citation, a recognized release does not involve a financial obligation. However, unlike a citation issued before you are booked into custody, a recognized release happens after you have been placed and presented before a judge in a bail hearing. A release on your recognizance is available if it is your first offense and does not involve violence. If the judge grants you this pretrial release option, you only have to promise to present yourself before the judge when ordered and obey the release terms.
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Property Bond
California permits you, the arrestee, to use any of your valuable assets, like real property, as collateral to leave jail awaiting trial. The court keeps the property’s deed, and when the case is closed, you regain the lien on the property. However, unlike the usual Lawndale bail bonds, a property bond takes time to process. You can wait days or weeks before release because the court must conduct a property valuation. When other individuals have liens on the property, the court will seek their opinion on whether they agree to utilize the property as collateral to release you before trial.
When you jump bail after using a property bond, the collateral will be seized and sold to recover the bail. This will be a betrayal of the highest degree, primarily if other people had liens on the property and trusted you to use it as collateral, believing you would obey the court conditions. Therefore, when you decide to use a property bond, ensure that you attend all proceedings and only skip court when you have a valid reason to safeguard other people’s interests in the property.
Setting Bail
Before determining your charges, you will need bail if you wish to retain your freedom. The fee is neither a punishment for the offense nor a court fine. It only assures that you will be showing up for court dates after the court allows you to return to your normal life as you prepare your defense against the charges.
When you use a Lawndale bail bonds service, you will pay them a non-refundable premium fee of no more than 10%. The bondsman can offer you a discount if an attorney represents you, so you should consider hiring one to make the service fee more affordable. Also, your Lawndale bail bonds provider will offer a discount if you are a union member or civil servant.
The officer who made the arrest can set bail and allow you to leave custody even before you appear before a judge for a bail or arraignment hearing. Every jail has a local bail schedule with surety bond limits for all offenses. Therefore, the Los Angeles County bail schedule will determine your Lawndale bail. If the arresting officer refers to this schedule and sets the amount you should deposit to exit the jail, you can pay the money if you have it and leave jail. You are encouraged to rely on a bondsman even when you can afford the funds.
You should know that the bail schedule is rigid. You will only be freed if you pay the amount provided in the program. If you wish to have the amount reduced, the officer cannot do that. It would help if you appeared before a judge for this decision. You have two days to challenge the bail figure if you are dissatisfied with the limit on the bail schedule. A bail proceeding will decide whether you should be released on your own recognizance or lower the bail figure.
Bail Reduction
Only the judge can set, adjust, or do away with bail. If you are requesting a bail discount, the court will consider several factors, including:
- The severity of your crime.
- Your criminal record.
- Your chances of appearing for set court dates.
- Whether you threaten your safety or that of the public.
- Your employment status and any ties with the community, like having a business or owning property.
- Whether someone was injured due to your actions, and the severity of the harm.
The set bail will not be reduced below the limit in the schedule for a felony offense unless there are unusual circumstances. These circumstances will not prove that you attended all your proceedings or did not contravene the law. Instead, they consider the change in the situation that is backed up by new evidence.
An alteration of the circumstances does not mean that the court that initially set the figure on the schedule erred in the decision or never evaluated the case carefully. It only means there is an adjustment in the court process, evidence in the case, or your situation.
The court will not agree to a bail reduction when charged with a severe offense unless there are unusual circumstances present in the case as justification. These circumstances are:
- Discovery of incriminating proof.
- Non-cooperation or disappearance of state witnesses.
- You are gravely ill.
- You are found with an away ticket out of California or Los Angeles County without a return ticket.
Bail Reduction After Agreeing to Bail Terms
When you have an experienced defense attorney in your corner, they can convince a hesitant judge to reduce your bail. The attorney does this by proposing release conditions like:
- Wearing a Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor device (SCRAM).
- House arrest with an electronic ankle monitor.
- Enrolling in an inpatient treatment center.
- Ceasing your passport or driver’s license to restrict your travel.
- Wearing a GPS or electronic monitoring gadget.
If your attorney proposes these conditions, the court will quickly grant a bail reduction.
As much as the judge is free to impose bail conditions, they should be compliant with your constitutional rights and easy to adhere to. For example, a judge cannot instruct you to agree to a home search whenever the police like it. The condition is invalid because it unfairly interferes with your Fourth Amendment rights, which protect you from unreasonable search and seizure.
Raising Bail
In the same way, the judge has the pleasure of reducing your bail, they can also increase it. When you present your arguments for a decrease in bail, the prosecutor will have the same opportunity to oppose the reduction. They will present facts to oppose reduction, like arguing that you are currently on parole or probation. If the judge is not privy to these details when granting the bail release, they will put it on hold once they learn you are on parole for another offense. Therefore, post the set amount if you are on parole and do not request a bail hearing. If you are released before the court discovers you are on parole, they will allow you to enjoy your freedom pending trial.
Nevertheless, requesting a bail reduction while on probation can force the judge to raise the figure further. The judge can increase the bail amount above what you can afford if they do it within the confines of the law. Just because you cannot consolidate the bail funds does not mean it is excessive or there is an abuse of discretion. You will either stay in detention until a verdict is issued or rely on a Lawndale bail bonds service for monetary support.
Lawndale Bail Denial
Detention as you await trial can be stressful because you cannot resume your daily activities, prepare adequately for the case, or spend time with your family. Bail helps you acquire freedom as your case continues in court. Sadly, some individuals do not qualify for bail and will stay in custody until the matter is determined.
The court will deny you bail if you have skipped court in the past. They will be convinced you will abandon the case as you did before, denying you bail. Also, if your attitude causes mistrust, they will not grant bail.
Similarly, if you are accused of a serious crime such as homicide or attempted murder, the judge can set exorbitant bail to discourage you from fleeing or deny bail entirely. The reason for bail denial in these cases is that the penalties when convicted are life-changing. If a sentence is inevitable, you could be tempted to run away after pretrial release.
Besides, they will not grant pretrial release if you committed the current crime while on probation or after parole release. Judges have little sympathy for repeat offenders, so they will not give you another chance to misuse pretrial freedom. So, you will obtain a bail denial if you have a bad criminal record or unresolved court cases.
When released back into society, your impact is a crucial consideration for the judge. If your baseline offense is stalking or assault, the court will deem you a danger to society, which could be a basis for you to be denied bail. Again, if you are apprehended for attacking someone, the court assumes you will do it again and thus denies you bail to keep the community safe.
Lastly, your immigration status can be used to deny you bail. Regardless of the offense leading to your arrest, the court can deny you bail if you are an alien because you could flee the country to escape justice. Also, bail will not be granted if you are illegally in the country. You will only be released after the court finds you not guilty of your charges.
Advantages of Lawndale Bail Bonds Over Other Bond Forms
Very few defendants can afford bail. As a result, many arrestees go for Lawndale bail bonds because of their affordability and efficacy. You will enjoy several benefits by working with a bondsman. One advantage of partnering with the Lawndale bail bonds service is that they are familiar with the legal process of acquiring bail, ensuring a quick pretrial release.
Also, convincing a family member to consolidate cash or use their property as collateral for your release is challenging. These situations can be disruptive and often cause huge fights between family members. Luckily, with your Lawndale bail bonds service, you can leave jail without begging your loved ones for financial help.
Bail is expensive. Instead of taking out a loan or borrowing from friends and family, you should consider a bondsman. Even if you have a property you can use as collateral, you risk foreclosure if you jump bail. However, you do not need to borrow funds or use a property for release with a bondsman. You only pay the premium fee. The bondsman will consolidate bail funds without hassle.
Jail and Court Details
Lawndale Sheriff’s Services Center
Torrance Courthouse
Find the Right Surety Bonds Provider Near Me
Legal trouble comes when you least expect it, causing problems with raising bail. Even when you cannot afford bail, staying in custody while the trial continues is not an option. Talking to a professional bondsman to provide financial assistance would be best. Bail Bonds Company offers affordable Lawndale bail bonds for all arrestees eligible for bail. Talk to us today at 323-579-1415 to review your circumstances and post bail.
