Jailhouses in Temecula, CA:
Southwest Detention Center
Riverside County Juvenile Hall
Courts in Temecula, CA include:
Superior Court of California County of Riverside- Temecula Courthouse
When charged with a crime in California, a defendant can be released from jail before their case ends by posting bail. Bail money insures against a defendant’s flight risk. California courts set high bail amounts that many defendants and their families cannot pay on short notice. Fortunately, bail bond companies provide the funds for defendants at an affordable fee. Bail bonds are offered by bail bond agents who work independently or as bail bond company employees.
While the company may sometimes ask you to give collateral to insure the bail bond, the process is more straightforward than paying the total amount to the court. If your loved one is stuck in a jail cell in Temecula, CA, you will need the services of a reliable bail bond agent. At Get Lucky Bail Bonds, we are a licensed bail bond company providing reliable, fast, and affordable bail bond services to all our clients.
Bail Requirement in California
Bail refers to the money that defendants and their families give to the court to secure a release from pending criminal trials or immigration cases. If you face an arrest for committing a crime of violating immigration laws, you will be arrested and placed in detention. Instead of waiting for weeks or months for your scheduled trial in jail, bail allows you to go home, be with your family, and return to work. Not all those in jail are guilty of the crimes for which they were arrested. Therefore, letting your loved one stay in jail would not be wise. Some of the benefits of posting bail include:
- Avoid emotional trauma. Spending time in jail is not pleasant. Spending even a night in jail can be detrimental to your emotional health. If you end up with an acquittal or win the case, you will regret remaining in the cell.
- Spend time with your family. Facing an arrest and criminal charges can be a challenging time. Therefore, you will need all the support you can have from your family and friends. Sitting behind bars takes away time from your family. If you have custody, you can lose them to the system.
- Allows you to return to work. Temecula Losing your job is a likely consequence of spending time in jail. You cannot afford to lose your job with a pending criminal trial. When you secure a release on bail, you can return to work and earn money to pay for legal guidance and representation.
- Meet with your lawyer. Posting bail is not necessary in your criminal case. You must hire legal guidance and meet them to plan a defense for your case. Meeting with your lawyer cannot be free and convenient while in jail. You cannot be honest with your lawyer while surrounded by cameras and surveillance. Therefore, posting bail is beneficial for your case.
Bail amounts often vary among defendants. The judge present at your first court appearance sets bail and notifies you of the amount.
Bail Hearing
A bail hearing is a court proceeding where a defendant requests the court for a release on bail. At this hearing, the judge will determine your bail eligibility and give you the amount you need to pay for a release. Often, a bail hearing is scheduled after you are booked into a jail cell. The bail hearing begins with your attorney requesting a release on bail. Since bail acts as a way to ensure you won’t skip bail. Therefore, you must accompany the request with evidence that you will appear in court for scheduled proceedings.
The prosecution will either agree or disagree with the request while offering their evidence. The judge does not set your bail randomly. Instead, the court uses the bail schedule as a reference point. The bail schedule lists the amounts of bail recommended for each crime. Often, these amounts are categorized by crime severity. The bail amounts required for felony offenses are up to ten times those for misdemeanor offenses.
Although the base amount is indicated in the bail schedules, you can only pay this amount if there is a warrant for your arrest. In this case, you will not need to attend the bail hearing. At your bail hearing, the judge modifies the bail amount depending on the following factors in your case:
- Nature of the alleged offense. When considering the amount you must pay as bail, the judge will consider the seriousness of your crimes. Bail amounts may be very high for individuals facing charges of serious felonies. The chances of a bail denial are high if you are charged with a crime punishable by life imprisonment or capital punishment.
- Your criminal record. The court wants to be sure that you will appear for trial and will not take the bail release as an opportunity to flee. The judge can check your pattern by assessing your criminal record. If you tend to skip bail or violate court orders, your bail amount could be high.
- Flight risk. Being a flight risk means that you are likely to flee. One of the main factors determining your flight risk is the strength of your ties to the community. You have the burden of proof at the bail hearing. Therefore, you can present family ties or employment evidence to prove that you will stick around and see your criminal case through.
- Danger to the public. Although courts want to maintain a defendant’s integrity by allowing a release on bail, the judge is vigilant in protecting the public. The judge can deny you bail if you are a risk to the safety of other people.
- Employment and resources. Most people are compelled to attend the trial and follow bail conditions for the he-fear of losing the amount used to post bail. When setting your bail, the court considers the nature of your employment and income. Individuals with a high income may not feel the pain of losing low bail amounts compared to low-income defendants.
In addition to determining the bail amount, the judge at your bail hearing will attach some conditions to your release. The bail conditions are as important as appearing at trial. A violation of these conditions could result in bail forfeiture and rearrest. Common bail conditions include:
- Mandatory check-ins. The court keeps track of defendants released on bail by requiring that they maintain a schedule of regular check-ins. These appointments allow you to give an account of your progress.
- Travel restrictions. The judge could impose travel restrictions on defendants released on bail after a felony arrest. The court ensures that you will not flee by requiring you to surrender your travel documents.
- Employment requirement. When you are out of jail on bail, the court mandates that you retain a job. Having a job is something that ties you down to the jurisdiction and could discourage you from fleeing.
- No contact order. The judge imposes a no-contact order for defendants who secure a release on bail for domestic violence cases such as spousal battery, child abuse, and corporal injury to a spouse. This order requires you to avoid contact with your alleged crime victims.
- Staying clear of drugs and alcohol. The use of alcohol and drugs is a major contributor to criminal activity. Therefore, the court may require you to refrain from the use of alcohol and drugs. If you test positive for drugs or alcohol while on bail, you may risk a bail forfeiture.
- Weapon restrictions. Defendants who secure a release on bail must avoid purchasing or using firearms.
Types of Bail in California
The availability of resources determines how you post bail for your loved one. Common types of bail include:
Citation Release
The citation release is the practice where officers issue a citation for illegal conduct but do not take you to jail. Instead of going through the booking process and remaining in jail until you post bail, the law enforcement officer releases you on the promise that you will appear in court. There are circumstances under which police officers have the discretion not to issue a citation, including:
- The person was so intoxicated that they posed a danger to themselves and others.
- An individual declines to sign the citation.
- The person fails to provide proper identification.
- Failure to detain the person could jeopardize the prosecution of their crimes.
- There is a likelihood that the person will not return to court as scheduled.
After a release on a citation, the court could schedule your hearing within ten days. Failure to appear at his hearing will attract an arrest and detention. "Cite and release" is a longstanding practice used to reduce overcrowding in jails. The procedure also saves court resources by allowing defendants to be brought to justice faster.
Release on Own Recognizance
Although own recognizance release is not familiar to manatee defendants, securing a release from jail without a monetary commitment is possible. The OR release involves signing an agreement stating that you will return for all your court proceedings. However, money is not a requirement for a recognizance release. The court can still impose strict conditions for your release. OR release is not available for all defendants. You could qualify for a release without bail under the following circumstances:
- It is your first arrest. California court systems are less stringent to defendants facing criminal charges for the first time. As a repeat offender, the judge assumes that you have contempt for the court and may not consider you for this type of release.
- Low-level criminal. OR release is often reserved for defendants facing charges for low-level misdemeanors or infractions. When the consequences of your offense are not grave, you have no drive to flee.
- No history of skipping bail. If you have a history of skipping bail or violating court orders, the chances of being released without bail are low.
Cash Bail
While California is working towards abolishing cash bail, you can still pay the full bail amount in a traveler’s check, banker's check, or money order. Cash bail is an option for individuals with ready cash at the time of the arrest. With cash bail, the release from jail is faster and more convenient. However, the risk of losing money is higher if a defendant fails to appear for a court hearing.
Property Bond
Arrested defendants who do not have money to pay cash bail have the option of presenting real equity to the property before the court for release. Often, the court requires the value of the property you present as a property bond to be at least 150% of the total bail amount. The process of posting a property bond begins with a determination by the property owner. During a property bond hearing, the court requires that you present the original title deed to the property. Additionally, any documents indicating liens on the specific property must be available.
All individuals whose names appear on the property deeds must be present at the property bond hearing. If you have taken loans against the property, the court subtracts the liens from the property value to determine its actual value for bond purposes.
If your property meets the requirements, the court files a line on it for the bond amount. This lien is only released when the defendant follows through with their bail release conditions or the case ends. The significant risk of using property to bail a loved one or friend out is their likelihood of skipping bail. Like losing a cash bail, you will lose the property bond to the court through a forfeiture.
Appeal Bond
An appeal bond is a type of surety you must pay to put a hold on the execution of judgment while you appeal the court’s verdict. In California, defendants who are not satisfied with the outcome of their criminal case can appeal the decision to a higher court. The main aim of paying the appeal bond is to ensure that you pay all the damages to the defendants if your appeal is denied.
You can appeal the case if you have a civil case and the court orders you to pay a damages fee to the defendants. If the court of appeals overturns your decision, you will not be liable for the damages. On the other hand, if the court upholds the original decision, you must pay for the damages. Appeal bonds are often fully collateralized, and the amount must be up to three times the amount you owe from the judgment.
Bail Bond
A bail bond is the alternative to cash bail and involves contacting a surety company to help you with the process. When you contact a Temecula bail bonds company, they send a bail bonds agent to post bail for your loved one. Additionally, the agent guides you and the defendant until the bail is released and their case ends. Posting a bail bond is cheap since the financial responsibility is lower.
In California, the standard non-refundable bail bond fee is 10% of the bail. This amount is more manageable for many defendants to pay. The presence of bail bond companies helps ensure that defendants from low-income backgrounds have an equal chance of securing a temporary release.
What Role Does a Temecula Bail Bond Agent Play in My Case?
When you opt for a bail bond to secure a loved one’s release from jail, the bail bondsman will play a critical role in the bail process. Some of the job descriptions of a Temecula bail bonds agent include:
- Assessing your eligibility for a bail bond. The bail bond agent will determine if you are eligible for a bail bond based on the defendant’s flight risk and ability to pay for the services. You must understand that the bail bond premium is non-refundable.
- Handle paperwork. Since a bail bond is a contract, the bail bond agent will sign those documents.
- Post the bail. When you use bail bond services, the bail bondsman is responsible for presenting the amount to the court.
- Responsibility for the defendant. The duties of a bail bondsman end after your bail is released or forfeited. Therefore, the agent will be liable for ensuring the defendant doesn’t flee.
Find a Competent Bail Bond Agent Near Me
Dealing with the arrest of a loved one is the last thing you want to do. The situation is far worse if you are the person sitting in jail with an unknown outcome. However, you have no time to sit and sob. It is either you want to bail the defendant out or not. Spending time in jail can be emotionally and physically traumatizing, especially during a first arrest. Bailing a loved one from jail requires you to post the amount determined by the judge as their bail.
If you cannot afford the bail amount, you can explore alternatives like using property or seeking a bail bond. Bail bonds are more popular among defendants since they are cheap and fast. When you agree with a bail bond company, they should be liable for posting bail and ensuring that the defendant doesn’t skip bail. Although there are many bail bond companies, you should be careful when choosing the right agency. At Get Lucky Bail Bonds, our Temecula bail bond agents are committed to ensuring the timely and convenient release of your loved one. Contact us at 951-506-0006 today.
