Although bail money is refundable at the end of your case, most arrestees are not ready to temporarily empty their money savings to post cash bail because their case’s trial could happen years later. No wonder most of them will find the services of a bail bond agency helpful in that particular situation where the need for money was unexpected.
An agency can give you a chance to save your money for other needs like an attorney’s legal services to have you or your friend out of jail within the minimum time possible at an affordable fee. At Bail Bonds Company, we have several flexible financing options that could work out in your favor to clear your bail bond premium or fee without unnecessary financial strain.
If you need Pasadena bail bonds services, we are at your service every day, 24/7. Our compassionate agents will be there for you, even after your release, to ensure compliance with the required court’s terms and conditions until your case’s judgment.
The Difference Between Bail and Bond
Since an arrest does not mean you are guilty of the alleged charge, you have a right to protect your innocence as you wait for the case’s trial date. One way you can do so is by posting bail (usually in the form of money) to act as security or assurance that you will return to court as required to challenge the accused offense.
In short, when people mention the term “bail” in their conversations, they are referring to the monetary amount the jail or the court will expect you to pay upon an arrest to guarantee your availability during future court dates. Once a judge resolves the alleged charge at trial, you will receive your money back even if the prosecutor manages to secure a conviction against you.
However, when you go against the terms of your jail release by missing the appointed court dates, the court will forfeit or seize the money.
On the other hand, a bond is a contract between you and the bail bond agency of your choice, promising to attend all the appointed court dates when they pay the scheduled bail amount for your charge. Typically, most arrestees will obtain their release from jail using the services of a bond agency because they offer prompt financial help when they cannot pay their bail in cash (cash bail).
Even if you have some money savings in the bank to clear your cash bail, sometimes it is not worth risking your finances when you do not know how long it will take for the alleged case to resolve. When you hire a bond agency, they will put their money on the line for you to regain your freedom until the end of your case.
In addition to promising them your availability during the oncoming hearings, they will charge you a bail bond fee or premium (typically 10% of your appointed bail amount). Therefore, if your court-appointed bail is $200,000, you will only need to make a $2,000 non-refundable payment to an agency to clear your bond fee.
In addition to seeking the services of an attorney, another crucial step to take upon an arrest is to call a bond agency to arrange your jail release or discharge on bond. An agency can step in during these confusing times to offer you quick Pasadena bail bonds services to await your case’s trial from the comfort of your home.
What to Remember Before Hiring a Bond Agency for Pasadena Bail Bonds Services
Hiring the right and trustworthy bail bond agency for bail bond services could seem overwhelming, but it does not have to be. Here are six crucial issues you need to remember before hiring an agency to secure your freedom on bond upon an arrest in Pasadena:
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There is Nothing Like a 5% Bail Bond Premium
Undoubtedly, the bail bond’s premium or cost will be the most crucial factor most defendants will consider when choosing a bond agency to work with to secure a jail release following an arrest.
You could see an advertisement on the internet or television for different agencies promising cheap bail bond services if you can pay them only 5% of your bail. However, this is nothing but a marketing strategy, or perhaps they are conmen posing as bail bond agents.
Typically, the state-mandated bond cost is 10% of your predetermined or scheduled bail amount. That means it is impossible to negotiate a cheaper rate, and agencies or agents who offer their services at a rate lower than this are probably mediocre agents who do not understand how the bail bond process works.
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You Do Not Have to Make an Upfront Payment of the Bail Bond’s Premium
While a bail bond’s cost or premium is unnegotiable, a reliable and understanding agency will work with you hand in hand to make payment of this 10% premium less of a financial strain for you or your family. Typically, most agencies will accept you to make this payment through any of the following ways:
- Credit cards
- Cheque
- Moneygram
- Paypal
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A Reliable Agency Must Be Licensed
Like any other business, every bail bond agency or agent must comply with the required legal requirements to lawfully post bail bonds on behalf of defendants in police custody. If you need bail bond services, you should remember a reliable agency is the one that is compliant with the necessary legal requirements.
Even if your prospective agency has a license revocation, you should consider finding another agency because their incompetence could be the reason behind this license revocation or suspension.
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Not Every Arrestee is Eligible for Bail
The question of whether or not you are eligible for a release on bail is an issue you should discuss with an attorney. Typically, securing a release from police custody or jail on bail is an option available to almost all arrestees. Below are factors that could negatively affect your eligibility for bail in Pasadena:
- The court considers you a flight risk, meaning there are high chances that you can leave the state and fail to return to court as required
- You have one or two records of not returning to court-scheduled hearings upon a jail release on bail
- You do not have any ties with your community. People who are active in various community activities and religious groups are more likely to qualify for bail than those who are not
- The alleged criminal offense is severe or violent. Particular crimes like rape or terrorism will deem you a threat to public safety, meaning the court could decide to keep you in jail pending your case’s judgment to protect the best interests of the public
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Never Hire a Bond Agency Without a Physical Office
You must agree it shows a sense of professionalism working with an agency with a physical office where prospective clients can walk in, especially when you have a loved one stuck in police custody. Bail bond agencies have no authority to solicit business opportunities from jail or detention facilities.
Unfortunately, several agents or agencies could unlawfully ignore this requirement to secure more business opportunities and higher profit margins. Even if you are desperate to help a loved one secure his/her freedom after an arrest, most agents you find around or near jail facilities are unreliable.
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A Reliable Agent Offers 24/7 Bail Bonds Services
Time is of the essence when someone is behind bars for any alleged offense. If you are seeking fast bail bonds services upon an arrest, the last thing you could want to hear is that your prospective agent is unavailable.
A reliable agency understands this and will have their agents work 24/7, including on weekends and holidays, to guarantee quick bail bond services to any client who could need their financial help past work hours.
What You Could Use as Collateral for Pasadena Bail Bonds Services
In most cases, your bail bond agency could need collateral on top of the ten percent premium you will pay them as their service fee. When you skip out on bail by failing to return to court to challenge the allegations you are facing, the agent has the right to hold or seize your collateral and hire a bounty hunter to trace you for a re-arrest.
Because of this, it is important to consider your collateral options keenly before accepting to secure your release with it. Generally, most agencies will accept any of the following items or assets as collateral for your jail discharge on bond:
Vehicle
If you are a vehicle owner, the agency could accept it as collateral for your jail release on bond. Although some agencies could allow you to continue using the vehicle while you are out on bail, this will not be the situation if the court forfeits your bail for failing to live up to the terms of your release, specifically by failing to return to court to prove your innocence.
Therefore, if you have one vehicle you rely on for transportation, it is wise to consider other collateral options to avoid unnecessary inconveniences for you and your family.
Real Estate
Buildings, apartments, and lands are other forms of collateral your agency could take as collateral while you are out of jail on bond. Other uncommon forms of real estate they could take as collateral include crops and livestock.
Investments
Most agencies will also accept investments like bonds, savings, and stocks as security for your jail release on bond. However, it is wise to exhaust all your collateral options before you put your life’s savings on the line to secure a jail release on bond.
Jewelry or Any Other Valuable Property
Other applicable forms of collateral most reliable agencies will take as collateral for a release on bond includes jewelry like a diamond necklace, watch, or any other valuable gem. The agency could also combine these valuable items with your items like computers or gaming systems to account for the full monetary value of the required collateral.
In most cases, the agency will require a third-party appraiser to assess and determine the worth of these properties and possibly the best way to store or keep them safe until your case’s closure or judgment.
Generally, the monetary value of whichever item or property you will decide to offer as collateral should cover at least three-quarters of your total bail bond amount.
Common Crimes in Pasadena and Their Average Bail Amounts
Although there is a predetermined average amount for most criminal charges, it does not mean the amount the court will require you to deposit to obtain a jail discharge on bail will be close to that average. Generally speaking, you could receive a lower or higher bail, depending on your criminal background and unique case circumstances.
It is also possible that you could be ineligible for bail, meaning you will be in legal custody as you wait for your case’s trial, which can occur within two weeks or years later. To increase your chances of qualifying for jail discharge on bail, you should consider hiring an attorney to be your voice in court for the best possible outcome.
Although the police or court could let you go home after an arrest without bail, you must pay bail when charged with particular crimes, especially felonies and wobblers offenses, to secure a pretrial release. Below are some of the most common crimes in Pasadena and their average predetermined bail amounts:
Drunk Driving
Unfortunately, drunk driving crimes are still common despite the relentless effort by police officers to combat these cases, which often result in deadly auto accidents. While a drunk driving arrest can occur anywhere on the road, most arrests for this offense occur at a sobriety checkpoint.
A sobriety checkpoint is a pre-advertised and predetermined location on the road where police officers require drivers to pull over for a quick check-up on whether or not they are driving under the influence.
Depending on how many drunk driving arrests or convictions you have on your record and other facts of your case, your bail amount could range from $20,000 to $100,000. If you have a past conviction history for a drunk driving offense under Vehicle Code 23152(a), your subsequent charge will result in a higher bail.
Drug Possession Charges
Generally, every drug possession case is different, making it challenging to provide an average bail amount. The bail amount the judge will set for the alleged drug possession offense will depend on the amount you allegedly had in your possession.
For simple drug possession charges with no intent to sell or distribute, you should expect a bail of not less than $25,000. However, if you had large amounts of drugs in your possession, it could mean you had the intent to distribute or sell. In that case, the judge will set a higher bail for your case, ranging from $500.000 to $5,000,000.
Restraining Order Violations
According to Penal Code (PC) 273.6, it is a criminal offense to knowingly and willingly violate the terms and conditions of a court-order protective order (restraining order). Typically, the purpose of a restraining order is to protect another person (primarily victims of domestic violence) from:
- Physical injury or credible threats of bodily injury or death
- Stalking
- Harassment
- Dependent adult abuse
Depending on your criminal background and at what point you did violate the terms of a restraining order issued against you, your bail amount could range from $15,000 to $150,000.
Shoplifting
Another common crime in Pasadena is shoplifting. According to PC 459.5, you commit the offense of shoplifting when you enter another person’s open business or commercial establishment with an intent to steal merchandise worth $950 or less once inside.
Upon an arrest for a shoplifting offense under PC 459.5, the court will need you to pay a bail of $20,000 or more. If the value of the alleged stolen merchandise exceeds $950, the prosecutor will file your case as grand theft. In that case, you should expect a high bail of up to $50,000 or more to secure your jail release, pending the case’s verdict.
As you can see above, even for non-violent charges like shoplifting or simple drug possession, the monetary amount of bail the court could require from you is significantly high. However, you do not have to break your bank to post your case’s bail amount. A reliable agency can offer you bail bond services to secure a discharge from jail without unnecessary financial strain.
Since time is of the essence once you are in legal custody for any accused offense, you should do all you can to clear your court-set bail as soon as possible. The following court and jail information will help you significantly if you need prompt Pasadena bail bonds services:
Court Info
Pasadena Courthouse
Jail Info
Pasadena Police Department
Find Quick Pasadena Bail Bonds Services Near Me
Caring bond agents at Bail Bonds Company know and understand what is at stake if you or a close friend is in legal custody on suspicion that he/she is a suspect in criminal activity. If you need speedy Pasadena bail bonds services, do not hesitate to call us at 323-579-1415, even if it is already past work hours.
Our ever-available and hardworking team of agents will go a long way to ensure you are home with your family within the shortest time possible following an arrest.
