The concept and the reality of an arrest are two different matters. Many have realized that spending time behind bars is a trying moment, one that changes your perception of an arrest. Being taken into custody means that you spend time away from your family and loved ones, your daily life is interrupted, and most importantly, you will require finances to post bail. It is obvious that an arrest is not a planned event. Therefore, bail sums can be difficult to raise at the drop of a dime. However, you shouldn’t be worried if you are looking for reliable West Hollywood Bail Bond services; Bail Bonds is ready to help post bail if you or your loved ones are unexpectedly in custody.
Differentiating Bail from Bail Bonds
Bail is the amount set by the courts that a defendant has to pay for their freedom as they await trial. Bail sums are often high, and many defendants are not in a position to pay the amount. Bail bond agents step in to address this need for financial assistance to post bail.
Therefore, bail bonds are surety sums paid to the courts on behalf of a defendant through a bond company by a bail bondsman or bail agent who pays the sum to secure a defendant’s freedom.
How Bail Bonds Work
Upon your arrest, you will be booked in jail. The booking process begins with the verification process that involves authenticating your identity, searching for any previous warrants against you, and fingerprinting. Once your details have been verified, the information is compiled and submitted before the judge.
A judge issues the bail sums against you in a bail hearing. The details in your record determine the amount you will need to post to secure your release. A defendant pays 10 percent of the bail sum to the bail bondsman should they decide to use bail bonds to post bail. On rare occasions, the 10 percent may be reduced to 7 percent and no less. The sum is a non-refundable premium, the bond agent’s margin on the bail amount. The bail bond company then pays the 90 percent to secure your release. The bail bond sum will need collateral, a guarantee that the bond company will recover its sums should you fail to attend your trial. Relatives and your loved ones may be called in as guarantors in the bail arrangement.
Bail only secures your freedom before trial. Should you fail to appear in court for your hearing, the judge forfeits your bail, and the bond company will liquidate your collateral to recover the 90 percent sum paid to the court. Further, a warrant for your arrest will be issued. If you appear for your trial, the bail bond sum is dissolved, and you get back your collateral. The 10 percent you paid becomes the bond company’s margin.
However, you can appear in court within 180 days after the notice of bail forfeiture was issued, provided you have a satisfactory excuse for why you failed to show up on the prescribed date. In these situations, the court will vacate the forfeiture and exonerate the bond. Cases of severe illness, disability, insanity, or being arrested in another jurisdiction are some of the excuses the court may accept.
Bail bond terms are not limited to the attendance of your trial. Other conditions include aspects such as submitting your passport to the court, checking in with the police as scheduled, having a tracker on you if you are under house arrest or any other terms as dictated by the court. Violating any of the terms stated by the courts may inform a judge’s decision to issue an arrest warrant against you, thereby, dissolving the bond.
Types of Bail Bonds
Bail terms are issued depending on the circumstances of your case. These terms make up the various types of bonds that you may need to pay and to which a West Hollywood Bail Bonds agent offers to fund. Here is a look at each of them.
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Citation Release
Citation releases are bonds attached to minor offenses such as traffic violations. With a citation release, there is no risk of jail time. You do not have to be arrested to be issued a citation release. Arresting officers issue the bond with instructions that you appear before a judge on the prescribed date. It is the arresting officer’s discretion to issue a citation release informed by the violation at hand. Therefore, should they decide to arrest you, you will have to pay another bail bond.
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Recognizance Release or Own Recognizance (O.R. Release)
All that is needed for a recognizance release is your promise to appear before a judge on the scheduled date. The details of your assurance to attending the trial are contained in a document that you will be required to sign by the arresting officer. Signing off on the promise is the condition of your release. The benefit you enjoy from this bond is that you do not have to part with any sum to secure your release. The promise you make to attend your court proceedings is enough to secure your release.
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Cash Bail
Cash bail, as the name suggests, is a bail settled in cash. Some correction facilities accept cash payments while others require you to pay for the bail through a cashier’s check or credit card. Cash bail terms are issued to individuals who are a flight risk. In most cases, the cash terms are often too high for individuals to settle the sum on their own. In such situations, West Hollywood Bail Bonds will come to your aid and post your bail.
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Surety Bonds
Surety bonds are three-party agreements in which you, the principal, offer an assurance through a surety (a bail bond) that you will honor the bail terms by paying the sum to the obligee (the party to whom the bond is paid out to). Should you fail to honor court proceedings, you will be skipping bail. The bail agent will have to pay the entire sum in the surety agreement, which in most cases follows the 10-90 percent rule established above.
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Federal Bail Bonds
Federal bonds are issued for federal crimes. They are obtained to avoid spending time in federal prison as you await trial. Federal bail bonds arise as a two-party agreement. This means that you will be required to honor the bail sums without the help of third parties such as bail bond agents.
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Property Bonds
Property bonds require real estate properties to secure your release. You will be expected to hand over your property’s title to the courts. In case you fail to honor your bail terms, the courts will liquidate your property to recover the sums in the bail agreement.
It takes time to obtain a property bond. Such bonds require an assessment of your property’s value before they are granted. The equity value of your home is important to the courts and not the market value of the property. So securing a property bond may take a few weeks because of the evaluation process of your property.
It is also worth noting that property bonds are a two-party agreement between the courts and the defendant. Therefore, third-party bail bond agents or companies may not be of help. This being the case because you must have property owner rights to use the home in a property bond.
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Immigration Bail Bonds
Immigration bail bonds are only offered to non-residents and non-citizens. Their lack of legal status in the US denies them access to the other types of bails.
A Look at the West Hollywood Jail
West Hollywood has one place of custody, the West Hollywood jail. It is located within the West Hollywood police station with its operations managed by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The prison only accepts cash bails and bail bonds. Cashier's checks and credit cards are not allowed. Once you have the bail terms, you will be required to post bail at the West Hollywood Station.
Arrested parties are temporarily housed at the facility pending:
- Their release through the recognizance release
- Posting bail
- Their arraignment
Anyone who cannot post bail or is convicted is transferred to his or her respective gender jails. Male prisoners are sent to the Los Angeles Men’s Central Jail or the Los Angeles Twin Towers Jail. Females, on the other hand, are transferred to the Century Regional Detention Facility.
The West Hollywood Jail is located at:
780 N. San Vicente Boulevard.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
310-855-8850
Posting bail is a straightforward process that starts with you calling a West Hollywood Bail Bonds agent. Offer a few details about the defendant, including the defendant’s name, date of birth, address, and the name of their employer. Further, we will need information about the place of arrest, charges brought forward against them, place of detention, and the amount of bail.
Find a West Hollywood Bail Bonds Company Near Me
Failing to post bail can come from issues such as lacking the resources to foot the sum required because of a temporary setback or you cannot afford it. The problem is, you risk spending time in jail even if you cannot afford the bail sums. We believe that you should not stay in jail for the simple reason of being unable to post bail. Talk to our West Hollywood Bail Bonds team at 323-579-1415 and let us help you find a way to spend more time with your loved ones.
