Jail and Courthouse Information in Murrieta
Southwest Jail
Riverside county jail
Corrections department
Parole unit
San Bernardino, California 92401
Southwest justice center
Riverside juvenile courthouse
Riverside county southwest juvenile center
Posting bail might seem a simple process. The idea is that when the police arrest you, another person can help you pay the bail and secure your release. Many people facing the criminal system face bail situations but do not know what to do next. If the police arrest you and order you to pay $200,000 bail, does it mean you will remain in jail if you cannot afford it? Can another person pay the bail for you? Can you work with bondmen to secure the bonds? How do you handle the bail process?
You must understand how the bail process works in Riverside County. Also, understanding the available payment methods is essential. At Get Lucky Bail Bonds, we are available around the clock to help you secure bail. We understand the arrest might occur when you least expect it. So, do not hesitate to call us whenever a law enforcement officer arrests you.
Bail and the Criminal Court Justice System in Murrieta
Bail is the money you pay at the courthouse to secure your release from the detention facility. Posting bail might or might not involve the arrestee. The money ensures that you will return to the court for the court proceedings. So, bail does not work like a punishment but ensures you return to the scheduled court dates.
Bail plays an essential role in the criminal court justice process. It ensures the arrestee returns to their home and waits for their case trial outside the jail. You might post the bail at almost any phase of the justice process, like soon after the arrest or after the criminal court issues punishment.
Generally, after your arrest, you have several possible outcomes for your case. For example, the arresting officer may release you, the court charges you and releases you after posting bail, or the court charges you and orders you to remain at the detention facility as you await your trial.
Arrest and Booking in Riverside County
When law enforcement officers or the police arrest you, they physically take you to a detention facility. Usually, when the police suspect you of a particular crime, they place you in the police car and take you to a detention facility for an administrative procedure known as the booking process. In rare cases, law enforcement officers will release you without filing charges. However, when they file a charge, you remain in custody until you post bail or until the court resolves your case.
The Booking Process
The booking process follows the arrest process. During the booking process, the law enforcement officers conduct a series of activities, including:
- Taking arrestee photos.
- Recording your full name, age, and date of birth.
- Taking fingerprints.
- Conducting health evaluation.
- Placing you at a holding center.
- Confiscating physical property.
After the law enforcement officers book you, they do one of the following: release you on a notice to appear at the court, release you after posting a bail bond,or keep you at the detention facility until the court conducts a bail hearing. California law will determine the best option that suits your case. Less severe crimes like theft will result in release with a notice to appear in court in the future. But you will remain at the detention facility for violent crimes until the court conducts a bail hearing.
Bail Schedules in Riverside County
In California, a bail schedule is a list outlining the bail amount for every crime. For example, the bail amount for burglary crimes is $5,000. The law also outlines whether the police can release you without posting bail. The judge has the authority to increase or reduce the bail amount when they deem it appropriate. For example, an arrestee in California must wait for the court to conduct a bail hearing for cases like spousal rape, terrorist threats, and spousal battery.
Bail Hearing in Murrieta
A bail hearing is a court proceeding to determine the bail amount. The hearing is the first court proceeding for the arrestee. The judge considers several factors to determine the bail. These factors include:
- Public Safety: When your release could risk the general public's safety, the court may decide to deny you bail. For example, the court may deny an arrestee charged with planning to commit a terror attack once released. The defendant might commit the crime and risk the lives of others.
- The Severity of the Offense: Generally, a severe crime attracts massive bail amounts compared to less serious offenses. For example, someone facing charges of theft posts a bail worth $1,000, while a person facing a murder case pays thousands of dollars as their bail bond.
- Criminal Record: The court will probably set your bail high if you have a criminal history. For example, when the defendant has several past convictions, fails to appear at the court as ordered, and violates the terms and conditions of bail, the court will set the bail higher. The court can also consider denying you bail.
- Asset and Obligation: A defendant with many assets may not be affected by a small bail amount, while a defendant with limited assets may find it challenging to post bail. Therefore the criminal court considers whether you are unemployed or employed and whether you have enough assets to post your bail.
- Flight Risk: A defendant might be a flight risk. For example, a defendant facing a severe charge or long sentence has a higher probability of fleeing than an offender facing a less severe crime.
Conditions of Bail in Riverside County
Apart from setting the bail, the court imposes additional requirements or limitations during bail determination. The requirements are similar to the conditions inflicted on people sentenced to probation. When you violate the bail requirements, law enforcement officers arrest you and take you back to the detention facility. Also, the court can forfeit the bail. The following are the potential conditions the court will impose when setting your bail.
- No-contact orders.
- Staying away from substance abuse.
- Firearms restriction.
- Travel restriction.
- Maintain your employment.
What is the Bail Payment Process?
After the court determines the bail amount, you have to use the provided procedure to pay the bail. Usually, the payment procedure will require you to move to a specific place, like a jail or courthouse. A clerk or cashier receives the payment at the courthouse or jail. The person paying the bail must provide the defendant's details, like the amount of bail paid, the booking number, and the defendant's full name. Remember, the payer must submit the required bail amount.
When the clerk at the courthouse receives the bail, they notify the correction officers of the defendant at the jail. So, the officers will release the defendant from the detention facility. Sometimes the release happens immediately since the courthouse is next to the jail. But in other cases, the process may take several hours. Note that the defendant must make the bail payment in cash. The courthouse can also accept other forms of payment like debit or credit cards, traveler's checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks.
Bail Forfeiture in Murrieta
In situations where you secure your release from jail on bail and later fail to show up at the court or fail to comply with the court-ordered conditions, the court forfeits the bail. For example, if the police arrest you and post a bail of $2,000, you will lose the $2,000 when you fail to appear in court on the court-ordered dates.
If the court had placed a property as collateral and you failed to appear at the court as ordered, the criminal court could foreclose or repossess the property. For instance, if your spouse places your home as collateral when securing a bond and you fail to comply with the court conditions, the court may sell the home to recover the bail amount.
Obtaining Your Money Back From the Bondsmen
When you use the services of a bondsman to secure your bail, the law requires you to pay the bail fee. You may also have to sign a security agreement or hand over your property as collateral. When you comply with the bondsman's conditions, the bondsman will return the property placed as collateral. But the bondsmen will not return the 10% fee you agreed as a service fee.
When you seek bail services from a bondsman and fail to appear at the court as scheduled, the bondsman may try to find you and return you to custody. When you violate the bail conditions, the criminal court usually gives the bondsmen a grace period to take you into custody. When bondsmen return you to custody within the grace period, the court does not require the bondsmen to pay the full bail.
As part of the bail process, the bondsmen may hire bounty hunters to trace you and return you to custody. Remember, the bondsmen are not law enforcement officers or government employees. They do not have general power. However, they have the authority to arrest a person who used bail services to secure bail but violated the terms and conditions of the bail. During the bail process, you and the bondsmen agree to allow the bounty hunters and bondsmen to enter your house, arrest you, and return you to custody without your consent.
Types of Murrieta Bail Bonds
Even without complications, coming out of jail is never an easy procedure. To come out, you want to navigate the various types of bail bonds available to you. The following are seven types of bail bonds and the procedure of obtaining them.
Citation Release
The citation release is among the best bail bonds you can obtain since you will never be taken into custody. The arresting officer will release you on a citation release. It happens when the arresting officer decides to let you go. The officer then issues a citation that orders you to appear in court on a given date. You must note that a citation release is issued for minor traffic violations. You do not want to apply or fight for a citation release. Instead, it depends on the discretion of the arresting officer. When the officer takes you to custody, then you want to try for another type of bail bond.
Recognizance Release
Recognizance release is an easy-to-obtain type of bail bond. For recognizance release, no money is required; you only want to promise that you will appear in court during your hearing. After signing the paperwork, the officer will release you from custody. Again, you do not pay money for the release; however, when you fail to appear in court, you pay a fine. You can obtain your own recognizance release depending on the decision of the arresting officers. However, you will need to fight for it in court.
Cash Bonds
Cash bail bonds are the most common type of bail bond available in California; as the name suggests, you pay the bond in cash. Although the court may allow you to pay the bail in other ways, a cash bond is the most preferred in some instances. For example, when you commit a violent offense, the court will more likely order you to post a cash bond.
Surety Bonds
Surety bonds are forms of bail bonds offered by bail bond companies. If you do not have enough money to pay the cash bond, you might seek legal help from a bail bond company. The bail bond company will then pay the bail and sign a contract. You will show up for the court-ordered dates. The bondsmen charge a fee of around 10% of the total bail. Once you fail to appear at the court as ordered, the court forfeits the bail.
Property Bonds
Property bonds are bonds where you place property as collateral to secure the bail. The most common type of property used under property bonds is real estate. The only difference between property bonds and surety bonds is the period taken. Although you can obtain surety bonds within hours, it takes weeks or months before you obtain property bonds. The time taken is lengthy in property bonds because of the paperwork and property inspection involved.
-
Low Rates and Fees
Our agents offer bail bond services, including lower fees and rates. We even offer discounts to ensure you secure the bail without leaving you with a financial burden. We allow our clients to use various payment options, including credit cards.
-
Licensed Bondsman
When you work with a well-licensed bondsman, you will be a mile ahead in ensuring your release is stress-free, efficient, and affordable. An arrest might be one of the most challenging situations in your life. So, ensure you work with our well-licensed and insured Murrieta bail bond agents to ensure your release is effective and quick.
-
Around-the-Clock Bail Bond Services
In California, law enforcement officers may arrest you when you least expect it. So, you want to post the bail immediately regardless of the type of arrest. We know you are in a hurry and want to secure your release and continue your regular duties. Our Murrieta bail bonds company is here to ensure you post bail whenever you are behind bars.
-
Bail Over the Phone or Online
Law enforcement officers may arrest you when you have important occasions in your life, like weddings. At this time, you want to obtain the bond and continue with the ceremony. So, you do not want to wait for regular working hours to post bail. We allow you to bail over the phone or online. You only need to have your essential documents like the arrestee's full name, booking number, and the name of the detention facility.
Contact a Murrieta Bail Bonds Company Near Me
The bail bond system can be complicated and filled with legalese. So, you might find it challenging to navigate the bail process. If you have insufficient funds to post your bail, you can seek bail services from a well-licensed bail bond company. At Get Lucky Bail Bonds, we are here to help you post bail. If the police arrest you in Murrieta, do not hesitate to contact us. Contact us today at 951-506-0006, and we will help you post your bail.
