What can you do to help your loved one who has been arrested in Dana Point? Once arrested, they may be transported by law enforcement officers to the Orange County Central Jail, the Laguna Beach Jail, or even the James Musick Facility. In most cases, you would want them to be released as soon as possible. This is why you must reach out to Dana Point Bail Bonds. Our Bail Bonds company will help you with the Dana Point bail bonds process and make sure that your friend or family member will get out of jail.
Getting Arrested
No one plans to be arrested, it happens without notice. If you are unfortunate enough to find yourself inside a jail cell, your immediate concern will be to get out of jail as quickly as possible.
However, for you to be released, you will have to go through a hectic and challenging process. You must first be booked. Then, you can post bail, and be released after you have deposited a certain amount of money to the authorities.
The Booking Process
When you are put under arrest, you will be taken into police custody. The law enforcement official who arrested you will have to book you first. During booking, the officer will do the following things.
- Record all your personal details such as your name, gender, and date of birth
- Record all the essential information about your alleged criminal offense
- Record your photographs and fingerprints
- Conduct a quick background check of your criminal history
- Search you thoroughly and confiscate any valuable property which you have such as a wallet, keys, and phones
- Place you in a local jail
This booking process may take a couple of minutes or several hours, per the busyness of the police station. However, people who are arrested for minor offenses don’t have to go through this booking process. Also, they may not be obliged to pay bail. Such people are usually told to sign a written citation. Immediately they put a signature to this citation; they are released. By signing the written citation, they promise to attend court hearings at the due date. If they don’t sign this document, they will still have to undergo the bond and bail process.
Own Recognizance Release and Arraignment
After you have been booked, you will be arraigned in court. However, this is dependent on whether the county prosecutor will decide to press criminal charges against you. Sometimes, you may be released on bail terms before you are even arraigned in court. While in court, you will be given a chance to arrange your release.
The only concern which the authorities may have in deciding whether to release you or not is if you will show up for future court hearings. You should demonstrate that you are an honest person who has integrity for you to be released on your own recognizance. Being released on your own recognizance implies that you will make a written promise to the authorities that you will not willingly fail to attend court sessions which are related to your case.
There are various factors that the judge must consider before he grants you a recognizance release. Some of these factors include:
- The severity of the criminal offense which you have been charged with
- Your past criminal record
- Whether you have any ties to the community you reside
- If you can quickly flee and escape the court’s jurisdiction
- Whether you can harm any person who intends to testify against you
- If you pose a danger to the entire society
If you are fortunate enough to be released on your own recognizance, make sure you attend all court hearings as you promised. In case you intend to miss any sessions, inform the authorities beforehand and give them a valid reason. Otherwise, the court will issue a warrant of arrest against you.
There are quite a few people in Dana Point who are always lucky enough to get out of jail on their own recognizance. Many individuals who have been arrested have to contact a reliable Dana Point bail bonds agent who can help them to be set free. Due to the prevailing high crime rates in California, the courts are usually reluctant to release an accused person on his own recognizance. This is because such people may end up escaping abroad in a bid to protect themselves from the long arm of the law.
What is Bail?
If you can’t get released on your own recognizance, you will have to provide a financial guarantee to the court that you won’t miss any of its sessions. The term ‘bail’ refers to the process whereby you will have to pay a certain amount of money so that you can be released from police custody.
When you are released on bail terms, you will have to show up on all court sessions. If you attend all of your court hearings dutifully, the authorities will give you back your bail money. In case you fail to show up, you will be arrested, and you will have to forfeit the amount of money which you paid as bail.
How Much is Bail?
There is no fixed bail amount in Dana Point. The amount of money which you will have to pay as bail will depend on the crime which you are accused of. This amount may range from $15,000 for less serious offenses such as violating a protective order, and up to $5,000,000 for felonies that affect a large number of people, such as drug trafficking.
These amounts are quite massive, and they can make you and your family strain financially. This is the primary reason why you should reach out to a reputable Dana Point bail bonds company to get professional advice. Moreover, you should request for a bail hearing to reduce this amount.
What Happens in a Bail Hearing?
Typically, the primary purpose of a bail hearing is to offer you a chance to plead with the court to either reduce the amount of your bail or release you on your recognizance. According to California law, the judge has the discretion to either eliminate, set, or modify your bail terms. However, if you are charged with a violent or serious felony, the judge cannot reduce your bail amount to what is below the statutory minimum.
Sometimes, your bail amount can be raised instead of being reduced in a bail hearing. This is because the prosecutor may highlight some information which the court was initially unaware of, and which has the potential of aggravating your case. For instance, the prosecution may inform the judge that you are currently on probation or parole.
Furthermore, you may have to abide by certain conditions if you would like your bail amount to be reduced. For example, you may have to surrender your driving license or passport. Or rather, you may be instructed to wear a GPS tracking device. If you manage to get released, you will be informed about the next date when you will be required to attend court sessions.
Not every accused person is entitled to bail. Sometimes, you may be denied bail because of the severity of your charges. Moreover, you will not be released on bail terms if the court believes that you will tamper with the prosecution evidence or flee its jurisdiction.
How Defendants Post Bail
Defendants can post bail using three different methods. These methods include paying the full amount to the authorities in cash, posting bail with a property bond, or utilizing a bail bond agent.
Some accused persons usually can’t afford the full bail amount in cash. Moreover, most people are generally hesitant of placing a bond in one vital piece of property. This is why the third method of securing bail bonds is quite popular.
Dana Point Bail bond agents will post bail on your behalf, provided that you pay them a certain percentage of the total amount which will serve as the fee. This percentage may be around 10%, and it is non-refundable.
If you fail to show up in court, your bail agent will get into trouble. To minimize this risk, most bail agents will require you to have a close friend or a family member to act as a cosigner. In case you skip bail, it is your loved one who will suffer the consequences and lose their money instead of them. You can put up collateral in instances where you can’t get a cosigner. This collateral can be in the form of real estate, a vehicle, or even jewelry.
One of the major reasons why most people prefer utilizing bail bond agents is that they can simplify the entire procedure. In fact, most of these companies will burden themselves with handling all the complicated paperwork on your behalf.
There are different types of bail bonds. For example, there are immigrant bail bonds that are specifically designed for individuals who are not citizens of the United States. There are also weapons bail bonds that are meant for people who have been arrested for a criminal offense of a weapons violation.
Find a Dana Point Bail Bonds Agent Near Me
Bail Bonds is a reputable company in Dana Point. We have gained a solid reputation among our clients since we are well known for assisting the release arrested persons out of jail expediently and quickly along with our fair pricing. Call us today at 323-579-1415, and we will give you all the answers to your questions concerning bail bonds.
