When apprehended in Colorado, bail is the quickest way to secure liberty and guarantee your appearance for subsequent court proceedings. Bail aims to pursue justice, prevent innocent people from staying behind bars, and ensure adequate trial preparations. The bail figure depends on the severity of your counts and factors like financial stability and the solidity of the evidence against you. If your bail is hefty, you can request a reduction through a bail proceeding. Even when reduced, consolidating bail can be difficult, so consider Arapahoe County bail bonds. At 24 Hour Online Bail Bonds, we will only charge a premium fee, typically a fraction of the bail, to finance your liberty.
Bail Definition
Bail is when you are temporarily set at liberty after an arrest or criminal charges after depositing money or a property deed. It acts as a security interest to guarantee future court appearances. When you skip court after bail, the court issues a bench warrant, and the property or cash posted is forfeited.
Arapahoe County Bail Bonds vs. Bail
Bail bonds and bail differ even though the terms are used interchangeably. Bail is the funds you deposit for a pretrial discharge. Arapahoe County bail bonds come in when you cannot afford the figure set by the judge or court and must seek financial help from a licensed professional. When you go to a bail bondsman and pay a 10% or 15% non-refundable premium for the professional to guarantee your temporary liberty, you have used a bail bond to exit custody.
A bail bond is, therefore, a contractual or pledged undertaking approved by an insurance firm with sufficient money or assets to pay the bail bond’s face value. Your bail bond company assures the judge they will be responsible for your court appearances, and when you fail to, they will satisfy the bond forfeiture. Your bail bondsman uses a surety firm or pledges their property as a guarantee if you skip court.
How Arapahoe County Bail Bonds Work
When you opt for a bail bondsman to finance your temporary release from custody, you can contact the Arapahoe County bail bonds firm you are interested in directly or talk to a third party, like a friend or relative, to contact the company on your behalf. Today, with technological advancement, you do not have to physically visit the offices of the bondsman, particularly if you are out of town or in the wee hours. You can call an online bail bondsman and complete the application process virtually.
After you call the bail bondsman, they will interview you to determine your eligibility. If your loved one, friend, or colleague contacts the firm, they will be cosigning the bail bonds and assuming the responsibilities of a cosigner. Being an indemnitor is a big responsibility, and one needs to understand the duties and risks associated with the position. Your bail bondsman will require collateral to secure the bond. Therefore, the cosigner must be ready to place their property deed or asset as collateral. That way, when you jump bail and the bail bond company loses its bond to the court, it can sell the collateral and recoup its losses.
Once you agree to the terms of the bail bondsman, pay the premium, and sign the contract, they will send a bail bondsman to your jail to deposit the bond and take responsibility for your future court appearances. When you fail to show up for subsequent court hearings after the temporary discharge, the company can track you down and present you in court. They do this by hiring a bounty hunter. If they cannot find you after a given duration, the court issues a bench warrant.
Other Bail Options
When unhappy with the bail set, you can petition for a bail proceeding where the court evaluates your case and determines whether to increase or lower your bail. The court can even opt not to grant bail at all. Other times, the judge can release you on your own recognizance (OR) without bail payment.
In Colorado, the judge is one of many parties that can grant an OR release. Arapahoe County or police can release you to OR by administering the temporary release trial program. The staff under the program interview you, the arrestee, and recommend to the judge whether you should be released on an OR without bail payment.
The interview by these employees happens over the phone. It seeks to establish your background and whether or not you will be present in court when requested after a pretrial discharge without financial security. These workers do not verify the information you provide, although most of the time, first-time offenders are the only defendants eligible for an OR. The advantage of this pretrial discharge is that all your money goes into hiring the best defense attorney to help you win the case.
Another pretrial release type that does not require bail posting is a citation. Here, the officer handling the case issues a citation stating the day you should attend a court hearing. With these releases, you do not undergo booking as the officer releases you on-site after arrest. The disadvantage of the release is that the officer does not do background checks, meaning individuals with pending or active arrest warrants could be set free, threatening the community’s safety.
An OR or citation release is the same because the court depends on your integrity when appearing. Very few defendants have the integrity to attend court when they have not deposited any security. Therefore, citations or OR releases are rare and are usually granted to individuals arrested for minor offenses or first-time criminal violations.
Bail Refund
Whether you will receive a refund from the court depends on the means you used to secure bail and compliance with pretrial release terms.
When you post cash or property bail and meet all court requirements, you will receive a refund at the close of the case. However, when you rely on Arapahoe County bail bonds, the company will not refund the premium fee as the fee is non-refundable.
Court and Jail Information
Arapahoe County District Court
Arapahoe County Jail
Find an Experienced Bail Bonds Service Near Me
Arrests happen any time, late at night, on the weekends, or on holidays. Regardless of the time of arrest, you want a prompt release and to spend minimal time in Arapahoe County jail. At 24 Hour Online Bail Bonds, we are available around the clock throughout the year to expedite your pretrial release. Call us at 800-930-8999 for consultation or to bail you out.