Long Beach Bail Bonds

 

When you are arrested for wrongdoing in Long Beach, CA, the police may not release you until a court concludes your case. If a judge sentences you, you might have to remain in incarceration much longer until you serve your term. But if the judge doesn’t find you guilty of your charges, you’ll be allowed to go back to your life without further charges.

 

However, California law doesn’t allow the police to hold defendants until a judge determines them guilty. Thus, you could be allowed to post bail. If your bail is high, a bond dealer could help you secure your freedom. At Cali Bail Bonds, you can rely on our timely, affordable, and 24/7 bail services to obtain your freedom soon after arrest.

 

Payment of Bail in Long Beach

 

Bail refers to the money a court requires you (the defendant) to pay to assure the court of your willingness and ability to appear for trial. If you do not appear in court as ordered, you could forfeit the money.

 

Securing your release before trial in California is not always easy if your charges are for a serious criminal offense. Some defendants are lucky, especially first-time offenders and those that face misdemeanor charges, as the judge can release them on their own recognizance. If the judge decides to release you on your own recognizance, you’ll not pay any money to the court to obtain your freedom. The judge does so with a firm conviction that you will show up in court for trial.

 

However, if your charges are for a more serious offense or you have a criminal record, you may have to post bail for the court to grant you freedom before trial. When your charge is a severe or violent felony, or if the court thinks you could be a flight risk, the judge might deny you bail. The judge determines all this during the bail hearing on your first appearance in court.

 

The first appearance occurs after the booking process. Once you’re arrested in Long Beach, the police book you to obtain your personal information. The officer then takes you before a judge, who decides whether to grant you bail, how much you should pay, and your court date.

 

During your first appearance, the judge has four main decisions to make:

• To release you on your own recognizance

• To determine your bail amount and only order your release once you pay the full bail.

• To develop conditions for your release — The judge may decide to release you only on conditions without posting bail.

• To deny bail if the crime is severe or of a violent nature

In most cases, bail amounts are usually predetermined. However, the decision on whether or not you are eligible for bail rests on the judge.

 

Bail Conditions

 

Bail conditions apply to all defendants who the court releases before trial. You might have to abide by certain conditions even if the judge has released you on your own recognizance. The judge sets bail conditions based on the nature of your charges. Some of the standard bail conditions you may be required to adhere to while out on bail include:

 

• You are released to a family, friend, or community member who promises to accompany you to court on the date set for trial.

• You could be required to regularly check with a designated agency through phone calls, text messages, or even online.

• You could be subject to travel restrictions — The judge might even order you not to leave the state or to surrender your passport.

• You could be subject to driving restrictions or prohibitions, especially if the underlying offense is DUI-related

• You could be issued with a stay-away order, especially in cases of domestic violence.

• The judge can order you to surrender any weapons you have to law enforcement officers.

• You might have to install an IID system in your vehicle for DUI-related offenses.

• You could be expected to conduct regular in-person check-ins with a designated agency.

• The judge might order you to undergo mental, substance abuse, or alcohol treatment, based on the facts of your underlying case.

• In some instances, the court might order installation for a GPS monitoring system that will inform the police of your whereabouts during the bail period.

 

Violating bail conditions is usually out of the question, as it comes with severe consequences. For instance, the judge might decide to revoke your bond. When this happens, the judge issues a bench warrant for your arrest. You will be allowed to turn yourself into the police. If not, the police will act on the judge’s order to arrest you on site. Once rearrested, you may not be given another chance to post bail. Therefore, you could remain in police custody until the determination of your case.

 

Consequences of Failing to Appear

 

When a judge decides to release you on bail, he/she does so on the promise that you will show up in court on the date set for trial. Even if you are allowed to go back to your life, you’ll still not be entirely free until the judge concludes your case. Thus, the second appearance in court (after the bail hearing) is critical. That is why California judges may deny you bail or set it high if they feel that you might not appear in court as ordered.

 

During the first hearing, the judge determines your bail and sets a date for the mention of your case. The judge orders you to return to the court on that particular day. Failing to appear is a severe offense in California, punishable by time behind bars and a hefty penalty.

If you willingly fail to appear for trial on the set date, you could face charges for Failing to appear under California PC 1320. The judge issues a bench warrant for your arrest, which will give police the authority to arrest you on site. Thus,  the police can show up in your house, business, school, or place of work to arrest and bring you before the judge.

California prosecutors charge failing to appear as a misdemeanor or felony, based on your underlying charge. For instance, if your underlying charge was a misdemeanor, you will face an additional charge for failing to appear. If convicted, you could receive an additional six months in jail and a fine of not more than $1,000 to the penalties you face upon conviction. Note that you’ll still serve the punishment for failing to appear even if the court doesn’t find you guilty of the underlying charge.

 

On the other hand, you are likely to face a felony charge for failing to appear if your original charge was a felony. If convicted, you could receive an additional three years and a maximum fine of $10,000 to the penalties you’ll receive if convicted of the original charge.

In addition to that, you could forfeit the bail. If the judge had released you on your own recognizance, you’d only be rearrested with no possibility for bail. However, if you had posted bail, you could forfeit the bail. If you had paid cash bail, you stand to lose the full bail for failing to appear. If you had hired the help of a bail bondsman, the company could lose the full bail amount. It means that you could lose the property you had placed as security for the bail services.

 

Why Bail is Important for Defendants in Long Beach

 

Bail plays a significant role in the California justice system. It is crucial for several reasons, including reducing the taxpayers’ burden of taking care of more inmates than necessary. When the police detain more defendants, they put more pressure on the existing resources. That is why California law does not allow people to be detained until they are determined guilty.

 

Bail grants your right to remain guilty until a court rules otherwise. In California, a person cannot be determined guilty until they go through the trial. Defendants must be given a chance to defend themselves before a jury, after which the jury decides on their matter. Before then, the police will have violated your right if they kept you in custody without trial.

Bail gives you a chance to plan your defense. An arrest comes when you are least prepared. Therefore, you may not adequately defend yourself if you’re taken to trial immediately after arrest. A judge grants you bail to allow you enough time to hire an attorney, gather sufficient evidence, and plan a solid defense against your chances. That is the only way the court can be sure of a fair trial.

 

How To Use the Services of a Long Beach Bail Bondsman

 

If you face arrest in Long Beach, it is crucial to understand the bail process and what you could do to secure your freedom quickly. Remember that a lot is at stake if you remain in incarceration much longer. You could lose your job, time with your family, or even school. The sooner you regain your freedom, the better it will be for you. That is why bail is essential.

You can pay cash bail if your bail is affordable to you or your family. Some families prefer to raise the bail amount, pay, and have their loved ones released from incarceration. However, this could take time, especially if you or your loved ones don’t have the required amount. It could take a lot of time to come up with the full amount, which means a longer time for you in jail. That is why most people prefer to engage the services of a bail bondsman.

 

If you cannot post the entire cash bail, the law allows you to post a bond. It involves a bail bond dealer who pays a surety bond to the court for your freedom. Bail bond dealers offer their services to all defendants, regardless of their underlying charge. You’ll be expected to pay a small fee, which is usually 10% of the bail amount. A reliable Long Beach bonds dealer will not include other hidden charges to make the bond even more affordable for you.

The bail bond dealer might require some form of collateral to secure your release from jail. It could be a valuable property like a house or car, which the bond dealer will keep until the court concludes your case. If you fail to appear and you forfeit bail, the company might be forced to pay the collateral to recover their money.

 

Bail bond companies are more affordable. They only require you to pay a small percentage of your bail amount, which is more affordable for most defendants.

 

Bail bond companies have more experience with the local courts. Therefore, you're likely to be out of incarceration sooner when dealing with a bond dealer. The agent working on your case will speed up the process to avoid keeping you in jail much longer than you should.

Most bail bond companies in Long Beach operate 24/7. Therefore, you may not have to wait to post bail. If you contact the company right after your arrest, they could speed up the process for you to secure your release just hours after arrest.