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As you likely know, films and television series often exclude certain factors for the sake of simplicity or keeping to time constraints. This includes when a bail bondsman shows up to rescue the characters from a night in the slammer. Despite its common placement in fictional stories, there are a lot of things that screenwriters do not tend to mention about the criminal justice system, including the bail process. However, these facts are important for people in real life who may find themselves in jail and in need of Lackawanna County bail bonds.

Bail Bonds Aren’t Always Simple

There are a lot of rules involved with bail bonds. The accused cannot leave the state, carry a firearm, or may be required to avoid certain places.

Bail Bonds Can Be Modified or Reconsidered

When someone is denied bail (which rarely happens on television), the accused person may request reconsideration. Alternatively, someone who is granted bail may request revisions or modifications.

Bail Bond Agents Can Go After the Accused

If an accused person attempts to flee the state, it is the bail bondsman’s job to ensure that they are retrieved in order to appear in their trial. This is because bail bondsmen could face dire consequences should the accused attempt to evade their trial.

If you have been arrested, you are at the beginning of what may be a long journey through the criminal justice system. While the process may vary, most criminal cases follow these steps involving bail.

Determining the Amount of Bail

If you have been arrested and booked into jail, the first thing you’ll want to find out is how much bail money will be needed in order to get you out. Sometimes, people who have been placed in jail for misdemeanors can post bail and be released in just a matter of hours.

When a Judge Sets Bail

For crimes that are more serious, a judge or magistrate may have to determine the bail amount. In this case, you will likely have to remain in jail until the next court date that is available. Bail is set in an amount that is necessary to guarantee that you will return to court at your appointed time.

Purchasing a Bail Bond

If you do not have the funds available to post bail, you can purchase a Bucks County bail bond to solve this issue. A bail bondsman will post your bail for you in exchange for a fee.

Being Released on Own Recognizance

If you are released on Own Recognizance (OR), you do not pay bail at all; you simply sign a statement promising to return to court on your assigned date. However, being released on OR is not available to everyone.

Failure to Appear

If you fail to show up for court, a warrant will be issued for your arrest. If you posted your bail, that money will also be confiscated and never returned.

When a judge sets a bail amount, it is done with a mutual understanding that the suspect will return to court on the date of the trial. Certain factors guide the judge’s decision on how much bail is set.

The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution requires that the amount of bail not be excessive. The amount of bail should not exceed what is necessary to keep the suspect from fleeing the jurisdiction before the case is over. In fact, if a judge sets bail too high continuously, he or she risks losing their seat on the bench.

Technically, there is no limit to how high a bail amount can be. The highest bail in United States history occurred in 2009, when Raj Rajaratnam was charged with engaging in a massive insider trading scheme that generated more than $25 million in illicit gains. He was released on $100 million bail.

In certain cases of murder, repeat offenders, or if the suspect is considered a flight risk, no bail options will be offered. A judge will also be unlikely to set bail if the suspect currently has a warrant out for his or her arrest. When bail is denied, the suspect remains locked up until the trial date.

For Lackawanna County bail bond services and more, contact Liberty Bail Bonds. We offer solutions for clients throughout the state of Pennsylvania.

The idea of going to jail can be overwhelming and frightening. When you or your loved one needs to be bailed out, the natural sense of urgency to get out of custody may incline you to simply pay the court in cash. However, there are a few things to know first about paying cash for bail versus securing a bail bond.

Maintain Privacy

Posting cash bail on behalf of yourself or another person becomes public information once the cash is posted. If you secure a bail bond instead through a trusted local bail bond company, your information will be received in strict confidence.

Access to a Lawyer

If you post cash bail, the court will likely assume that you also have access to the funds needed for a lawyer. Subsequently, the court may refuse to appoint you a lawyer.

Protection from Bail Forfeiture

A technical bail violation (even an unintentional one) can result in complete bail forfeiture. For instance, if the court changes the department in which your case is being heard (which is common), and you fail to appear in the reassigned department, your bail will be forfeited. The same applies if you are a few minutes late, or even if you are in the restroom and miss your name being called. With a Bucks County bail bond, you will be protected from losing straight cash if such an instance occurs.

Parole and probation are both alternatives to incarceration where the accused must follow strict rules and guidelines. He or she would also be expected to submit to warrantless searches at any time. Both parole and probation are certainly preferred over living in a jail cell, but what exactly is the difference between the two?

Probation refers to a period of time before the accused is sent to prison. When a defendant receives probation, the judge gives them an opportunity to show that they want to rehabilitate themselves rather than pronouncing the sentence and sending them straight to prison. Either the defendant is given probation without a pre-determined sentence, or the judge will find the defendant guilty and temporarily suspend the sentence while he/she is on probation. If a defendant does everything the judge instructs them to do, then they will not be sent to prison to finish their sentence. However, if the defendant violates their probation conditions, they will be given a new jail sentence based on the probation violation in addition to the initial crime. (If you have recently been arrested, it’s important to seek Lackawanna County bail bonds before considering the possibility of probation.)

Meanwhile, parole is an early release from prison for reasons such as good behavior. The defendant instead serves the rest of their sentence in the community, but is required to regularly report to a parole authority in person, by mail, or by telephone. Conditions of parole may include requiring the defendant to stay in a halfway house and continuing with payments on fines. If a defendant fails to comply with his parole conditions, then the parole officer could file a report with the parole board, resulting in the defendant’s return to prison.

Let’s say you were arraigned and are currently out on a bail bond after being arrested for a minor offense. However, you had plans to visit family in Texas this month, and your flight tickets are non-refundable. Is it still possible to take the trip and leave the state if you are out on bail? And if so, how can you do so without facing more trouble?

If you’ve signed for Erie County bail bonds, it’s very important to know any rules or restrictions surrounding your bail. When you were released on bond, you became subject to the terms and conditions of release established by the court. Typically, leaving the state is not one of these conditions. Once you have verified this for your particular case, it is still best to inform your local bail bondsman, your lawyer, and the court of any travel plans you may have. This way, it won’t appear that you are skipping bail.

The judge’s instructions are the most important when it comes to your bail, so if you were ordered to stay in the state, it is mandatory to abide by the law and do so. Otherwise, you could find yourself back in jail in addition to owing your local bail bondsman the full amount for the bond.

Wondering what will happen if you miss your court date? Make sure to keep reading – chances are, the following information will have you more than willing to show up to your court appearance early.

When you obtain Adams County bail bonds from a bail bondsman, they are providing the money needed to secure your release. Those funds are essentially a promise that you will be present for your next court date. Failure to appear in court can be called “skipping bail”.

To put it simply, if you miss your court date, it is likely that the judge will issue a warrant for your arrest. If the case involves something minor, such as a traffic violation, these warrants are not actively pursued. However, if you run afoul of the law in that county again, just one more traffic violation, such as a speeding ticket, could land you in jail.

For more serious offenses, law enforcement will actively pursue bringing you in when the judge issues a warrant. Your bond conditions will also be revoked. Not to mention, you will be facing a whole new case in addition to your current one, as missing a court appearance is a crime within itself.

Finally, if property or money was put up for your bond, the collateral will be kept by the court system if you fail to appear in court. You will also be facing harsher fines, longer jail sentences, and an angry judge.

Thankfully, rescheduling your court date beforehand is possible if absolutely needed. You can ask the county clerk yourself to reschedule it, or your lawyer can ask for a different date.

You know that whether you’re in Pittsburgh, Allentown, Reading, or anywhere else in Pennsylvania, Liberty Bail Bonds is the expert you’re going to call when you’re in need of a Pennsylvania bail bond company. But do you know where the idea of bail originated? Pre-trial release dates all the way back to ancient Roman times, but the way the Romans approached bail is much different than the process most bail bond companies use today.

According to research done by Timothy R. Schnacke, Michael R. Jones, and Claire M. Brooker, “bail bond decisions are all about prediction, albeit today about the prediction of a defendant’s probability of making all court appearances and not committing any new crimes.” In America’s beginning, English laws were occasionally carried over, but began evolving almost immediately. Their research goes on to state that,” It is commonly believed that the first true commercial money bail bondsmen, persons acting as sureties by pledging money or property to fulfill money bail bond conditions for a criminal defendant in court, were Peter and Thomas McDonough in San Francisco, who began underwriting bonds as favors to lawyers who drank in their father’s bar.”

Bail reform was very common from the 1960s through the 1980s. While Pennsylvania bail bonds and the duties of bail bondsmen continue to evolve, we at Liberty Bail Bonds know how to work fast and efficiently to secure the release of your loved one.

There are many different bail options in the state of Pennsylvania. If you or a loved one ends up in jail following a legal situation, you’ll not only want to guarantee a quick release, but also that you’re getting the most of your money. Keep reading to learn why Pennsylvania bail bonds are the most affordable option.

Depending on the crime that’s been committed, bail can be high, and not many of us have thousands of dollars freely available to spend on cash bail. This is where bail bondsmen come in. You can secure a Lackawanna County bail bond by paying a bail bond fee (a small percentage of the bail amount) to a bail bondsman, who will then cover the remaining amount for someone’s release.

Additionally, bail agents are very familiar with the bail bond process, so they have the ability to work quickly and secure the release of your friend or family member. By obtaining the help of a bail bondsman, you can help prevent your loved one from staying in jail any longer than they have to.

To secure a bail bond, all you’ll need is a trusted local bail bondsman, the bail bond fee, and the means to show up to all of your court dates. Contact us now to learn about your bail bond options.

We’ve all heard it before (at least on television): “You have the right to remain silent. If you choose to give up your right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…”

However, if you’ve found yourself in trouble, it’s not uncommon for an officer to follow this statement with questions such as “You want to tell me what’s going on here?”

Your first inclination may be to respond to the officer in an attempt to negotiate your way out of trouble, or to show that you’re being cooperative. The problem is that the officer isn’t seeking a way to justify letting you go; he is seeking a way to justify arresting you. However, if you choose not to answer the officer’s questions, you will effectively be depriving him/her (as well as a prosecutor) of evidence that may have potentially been used against you down the line.

Also, if an officer encourages you to talk with statements like “We can make things easier for you if you work with us”, remember that he has no authority to dismiss any charges. These decisions are made solely by the prosecutor.

If you’ve been arrested in Pennsylvania, you can receive the support you need in the form of Erie County bail bonds. From misdemeanor to felony charges, we have the right Pennsylvania bail bonds at the right rates for you.