Jail and Courthouse Information
Jail Information
Riverside County Sheriff's Department
Courthouse Information
Superior Court of California, County of Riverside - Moreno Valley Courthouse
When arrested for an offense, you are held in custody until your arraignment, where you will enter a plea. The trial does not start immediately. Hence, a judge sets a bail sum as a security and an assurance that you will appear on the scheduled court dates.
Bail values are often too high for most individuals to pay. Third parties step in to address this challenge. Bail bond dealers pay the bail and secure your release. At Get Lucky Bail Bonds, we pay the defendant’s bail to ensure his/her pretrial release. Reach out to the Perris team for assistance.
Understanding Bail Bonds
Before addressing bail bonds, we must first discuss what bail is.
The bail process starts when police officers arrest you for an alleged offense. You will be booked and processed in jail, awaiting your appearance in court to answer to the criminal charges filed by the prosecutor.
Booking entails obtaining an arrestee’s identifiable information, captured at various stages.
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Recording of the Suspect’s Name and the Alleged Offense
Officers at the station will capture your name and populate the details in the national database. Further, he/she will include the offense for which you were arrested.
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Capturing a Mug Shot
Mugshots offer further personal details that uniquely identify you. It is not unusual for individuals to share a name. Mugshots address this challenge. Besides the facial features, mug shots also capture a suspect’s height.
Police officers will also take photos of your physical condition at the time of the arrest, including tattoos and, most importantly, any signs of injuries, bruising, or markings.
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Fingerprint Capturing
It is standard practice for your fingerprints to be captured and entered into the nationwide database. The prints will be compared to any fingerprints obtained in an ongoing investigation of an unsolved crime. If your prints match, you will face additional charges, and your potential bail will increase.
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Check for Warrants
Officers also check for pending warrants for your arrest. Any pending arrest significantly affects your bail release. In most cases, judges decline to issue bail for individuals arrested for a subsequent offense, yet they have a pending arrest warrant.
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Collecting DNA Samples
You could be required to submit a DNA swab. Officers enter the DNA sample into the database. The DNA samples, like fingerprints, help law enforcement close pending cases if the DNA samples match those in the database.
How Bail Works
Once the booking process is done, you will remain in jail until your arraignment. The first stage of the court process is arraignment. You must be presented in court for the first hearing.
The arraignment under the law should be within 48 hours of a defendant’s arrest. The authorities must let you go should they fail to honor the 48 hours timeline.
The following happens during an arraignment.
- Enter a plea — You plead not guilty, no contest, or guilty to the charges.
- The presiding judge sets bail — Every county has a bail schedule. Various offenses attract different bail values. The graver the crime, the higher the bail imposed by a judge. The bail value can also increase or decrease based on the judge’s assessment of the facts of the case, whether you are a flight risk, your ties to the community, and your criminal history. The law gives judges discretion when determining bail.
- Future court date is set — Judges set a future court date, for which you are required to honor. Failing to keep the date is an offense known as failing to appear (FTA). The violation is addressed below.
After the arraignment, you can post bail to secure your release. This is the stage you can contact a Perris bail bonds dealer for assistance.
Should you contest the set bail, the law authorizes you to formally do it in a bail hearing. The hearing will be held within a week of your request. However, this hearing can only happen if you plead not guilty.
Individuals who plead guilty admit to the crime. On the other hand, a no-contest plea means you accept conviction without admitting guilt. Therefore, a trial is not necessary for both situations.
During the bail hearing, judges modify or reinstate the bail. In revising your bail, the judge can:
- Release you on personal recognizance — An O.R. (own recognizance) release lets individuals walk out of jail without posting bail. The defendant is released solely on his/her promise to appear in court. Most individuals out on an O.R. release have strong community ties, are not a flight risk, and have been charged with a first offense, which is a misdemeanor.
- Increase or decrease your bail — Judges can also increase or lower your bail after considering the submissions by your attorney and the prosecution. Strong community ties, being a first-time offender, and that you pose no danger to the community are some of the issues that could convince a judge to reduce bail. On the other hand, being a subsequent offender, being a flight risk, being a danger to the community, or skipping bail are issues that influence judges to increase bail.
Note: Only individuals charged with non-capital crimes are entitled to bail.
What is a Bail Bond?
A bail bond is the sum of money posted as bail by a third party, bail bond dealers. The sum guarantees that the defendant will appear in court on scheduled dates.
There are several reasons why defendants opt for Perris bail bonds.
High Bail Sums
The apparent one is the high bail values. Since an arrest is a random occurrence, raising the bail amount to secure your release on short notice is difficult. Bail bond companies step in to address this challenge.
You Access Bail Bonds Convenience
Bail bonds secure your release from jail fast. You do not need to liquidate your assets or seek contributions from loved ones to secure your release. After calling a Perris bail bonds dealer and signing a bail bond agreement, the bail agent posts your bail and secures your release.
Further, most bail bond dealers operate 24/7. Your prison release will be fast-tracked regardless of the time. You can also negotiate a payment plan and pay through the bail agent's various payment platforms.
Cheaper
Defendants part with a non-refundable fee paid to the bail bond agent. You will part with a fee of up to 10% to secure your release from jail. The sum is significantly lower than having to pay the entire bail sum.
Perris Bail Bond Process
When you opt for the bail bond option, there are several issues you should consider.
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Non-refundable Fee
Perris bail bondsmen charge a fee for the bond they post to secure your release. The charge is non-refundable.
Note: Courts refund your bail at the conclusion of your case and if you attended all your court sessions. Additionally, bond agents receive their bonds in full after the conclusion of the trial. Bonds are separate from the fee bail bondsmen charge. The fee is between you and the bail bond agent as a payment to access the bail bond.
Bail agents charge a fee of up to 10% of the value of the bail.
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Cosigner
Bail bond contracts require cosigners. These are individuals, primarily loved ones, who agree to deposit their assets as security for the bail bond. Should you fail to appear and the courts forfeit your bail, the bail bond agents will repossess the asset and sell it to recoup the value of the bail lost.
Cosigners also play a significant role. Since a cosigner’s asset risks being repossessed and disposed of should the defendant fail to appear in court, the cosigner will be motivated to ensure the defendant shows up in court.
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Collateral
The word of the defendants that they will appear in court is insufficient. The law thus allows bail bond agents to require the defendant and cosigner to attach an asset to the bail agreement as security. Bail bond companies accept jewelry, properties, assets, cars, and valuable equipment as collateral.
A cosigner, in most cases, attaches his/her properties as collateral. It is an extra measure to safeguard the bail agent’s interests.
Can My Attorney Appear in Court on My Behalf?
Yes, however, it depends on the charges leveled against you.
Misdemeanor Charges
If you are facing prosecution for a misdemeanor charge, your attorney can attend the court sessions on your behalf, with a few exceptions, including when facing:
- Alleged violations of protective orders.
- Domestic violence charges.
- Particular aggravating crimes involving DUI offenses (Driving under the influence) like:
- Vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated — A violation of Penal Code 191.5(b), or
- California’s DUI causing injury law, Vehicle Code 23153.
The courts will require your attendance if you face prosecution for any of the abovementioned crimes.
Felony Charges
Individuals facing felony charges must attend the arraignment hearing and most subsequent court proceedings. However, there are a few exceptions.
- You can appear via a two-way audio or video conference. It is also referred to as video court, or
- Excuse your presence through a written waiver. You will be excused when the judge accepts the waiver.
It is important to note that the courts reserve the right to order your appearance in court in person until the resolution of your case.
Failure to Appear After a Bail Out
Failing to appear after a pretrial release is an offense. You risk losing the sum you posted as bail and face additional penalties when you fail to honor your commitment to appear in court on scheduled dates.
Note: The penalties also affect individuals released on their own recognizance.
When you fail to appear in court, you have at least 180 days before the courts revoke your bail and issue a bench arrest warrant. You then have to offer compelling explanations why you failed to show up. Some of the explanations courts have accepted in the past include:
- You were disabled.
- You were attending to an emergency.
- You were involved in an accident and sustained an injury significant enough to affect your attendance.
- You suffer from a mental illness.
- You were detained in another jurisdiction.
Should the judge be convinced, you will remain free. However, if your reasons do not compel the judge or you do not show up within 180 days, the judge will revoke your bail and issue a warrant for your arrest.
Upon your arrest, you will face failure to appear charges. If the primary crime is a misdemeanor, your failure to appear offense is also a misdemeanor. If the underlying crime is a felony, the FTA charge is a felony.
Since the bond was revoked, should the judge set bail for the FTA offense, you will have to seek another bail bond. Subsequent bail is independent of the revoked bail. You will thus pay another non-refundable fee to secure your release through a bail bond.
Judges can deny you bail or increase your bail if you are charged with failure to appear. He/she could also issue additional conditions for your release.
Difference Between a Bench Warrant and an Arrest Warrant
When a defendant fails to appear in court, judges issue a bench warrant for their arrest. Bench warrants are different from arrest warrants.
Once a bench warrant is issued, police officers are entitled to apprehend the defendant and present him/her in court. Bounty hunters can also arrest defendants for a portion of the bail value.
Arrest warrants, on the other hand, are issued before an arrest and subsequent presentation of the suspect before the courts to answer to the charges. Arrest warrants are given in two scenarios:
- Upon indictment — An arrest warrant is issued after the prosecution brings evidence before a grand jury. An arrest warrant will be issued if the grand jury hearings result in an indictment.
- After a police investigation — Judges issue arrest warrants following evidence presented to them from a police investigation showing probable cause that a suspect committed a crime
Types of Perris Bail Bonds
There are various types of bail bonds. The difference is primarily based on the citizenship status, the charges defendants face, and their financial position at the time of the arrest. It is crucial to know the options so that you seek an appropriate bail bond for your situation.
Cash Bonds
A cash bail bond, as the name suggests, is bail paid in cash. Defendants pay cash bail through money orders, bank cashier checks, personal checks, or travelers’ checks. He/she deposits it with the arresting agency or court clerk to secure your release.
If you attend all your court sessions, the court will refund the entire sum 60 to 90 days after the conclusion of your case. Should you fail to appear, the courts will forfeit the whole amount.
When the courts become suspicious of the source of the cash bail, a judge will place a hold on your release. You can challenge the bail hold by presenting documentation and witness testimony as evidence supporting the legitimacy of the cash.
Judges primarily use cash bail in cases where the defendant is considered a flight risk. The court will receive full payment should the defendant fail to appear.
Surety Bail Bond
Surety bail bonds are the most common of all Perris bail bonds. Licensed bail bond dealers offer to secure your release for a fee. This is the cheapest of all available bail bond options since you only part with the bail bond fee, which is between one to ten percent of the bail’s value.
Property Bail Bonds
California allows defendants to use properties to secure their release. This is an option of last resort. Defendants deposit the value of their property as collateral to secure their release from jail. A failure to appear gives the courts the right to assume lien on the property. Thus, you will lose your home or any other property you deposited in court.
Property bail bonds take longer to process. The courts must thoroughly evaluate the property’s value and ownership status before it is accepted. The property’s value must be twice the value of the bail set by the preceding judge.
Contact a Perris Bail Bondsman Near Me
Call the Get Lucky Bail Bonds team if you or a loved one has been arrested in Perris and need bail. We are ready to assist you no matter the time of day or night. Our offices are open 24/7 to help you secure your pretrial release. Contact our Peris bail bond agents at 951-506-0006 for assistance.
