Pasadena Bail Bonds

Spending time in jail can be awful and frustrating. Unfortunately, many people end up staying in jail as they await trial since they can't raise the required bail amount. That's why you should engage a professional bail bonds company once you're arrested. A reliable company would help you secure your loved one's freedom within the shortest time possible.

If you're arrested and held in custody in Pasadena, CA, do not hesitate to call 24 Hour Online Bail Bonds. We are here to help you join your family and attend court sessions from home. Call us today and speak to one of our agents.

A Legal Perspective of How to Post Bail in California

In California, you can post bail using three ways after you're accused of a particular crime. These methods are defined under several statutes of the California Penal Codes. Here is an overview of the law that governs how you can post bail in California.

California Penal Code 1269: Cash Bail

Under California Penal Code 1269, you must have the proper amount of cash on hand or a cashier's check for the amount to post cash bail. Some jurisdictions also accept the use of credit cards to post bail. Unfortunately, most people cannot afford to raise the required cash bail since most of the bail ranges between $10,000 to $100,000, and most people don't have that amount in their possession.

Your cash bail will be returned to you after your case completes, as long as you attend all the court hearings. However, some cases last up to a year, meaning that you won't be able to invest that money in any way.

Please note, it takes six to twelve weeks for the county to return your cash after your case concludes. Additionally, the court allows 180 days to locate and bring an accused back to custody before a forfeiture.

Please note, you should notify law enforcement about the arrest. Failure to return a defendant in custody after this timeline will have the bail forfeited by the state.

California Penal Code 1276: Bail Bond

People who cannot post cash bail can secure a bail bond. A bail bond works as a contract between a defendant and a bail bonds agency. This contract obliges the defendant to appear in court as required while the bail bond agency promises to post the bail on your behalf. However, you must pay the agent a specific amount, typically 10% of the total bail amount.

You should note that the premium isn't refundable. However, our Pasadena bail bonds agents can reduce it if you meet specific criteria such as:

You have an attorney.
You have a good credit score.
You have a permanent and stable job.
You are a government employee either in the state, county, or federal official.
You are a member of a union.
You are a member of the military.

Failure to appear in court will have the bail bonds agent forfeit the bail money. Therefore, these agents have a strong incentive to monitor their clients and ensure that they appear. These agents can find you and return you to custody if you fail to do so.

Bail bonds agents typically require their clients to post some form of collateral to guarantee that they'll meet their court obligations. If you fail to appear, they will use the collateral to cover the loss incurred after the forfeiture.

California Penal Code 1276.5, Property Bond

Defendants can post a property bond when they cannot post a cash or bail bond. While posting your property as a bond means that you'll be posting the equity interest of your property to guarantee your appearance in court.

However, the court requires the property's equity to be at least twice the value of the bail amount. The property must also be recently appraised and have all its lien closed.

The court will accept the property in place of your release from custody. Failure to appear in court will have the court place a lien on the property. The county will then foreclosure the property to recover its bail.

Please note, preparing a property bond can be time-consuming, meaning that you'll be spending more time in jail. That's why most people seek bail bonds since it guarantees a quick and hustle-free release.

California Constitution Article 1, SEC 12(c), Release on Own Recognizance

The court can release you on your recognizance if it's sufficiently convinced that you will appear in court. Before the court decides to release a defendant on their recognizance, they must take note of the following:

The severity of the crime that you're charged with.
The suspect's criminal records.
The danger that the defendant poses to the public upon release.
The defendant's ties to their family, society, and employment.

Please note that if the court releases defendants on recognizance and fails to appear in court as scheduled, they'll be subjected to immediate arrest and not be granted the chance to be released on bail.

The judge might impose several conditions of an Own Recognizance release. For instance, defendants arrested for multiple DUI might be required to surrender their driver's license and attend a mandatory alcohol treatment program in exchange for their release.

For domestic violence defendants, the court might order them to enroll in a domestic violence education class. It can also order the suspect to stay a certain number of yards of feet away from the alleged victim as a form of a temporary restraining order.

The court might also order some defendants to attend anger management classes, agree not to associate with known felons, and surrender their passports. Each condition should be reasonably related to the circumstances of the alleged crime.

Reasons Why Posting Bail Bonds is Better than Cash or Property Bonds

It's best to post a bail bond with our Pasadena Bail Bonds agents rather than paying cash bail out of pocket. Remember, you only need to raise a maximum of 10% of your bail to post a bail bond instead of the 100% required in cash bails. Below are other compelling reasons why obtaining a bail bond is better than paying in cash.

It Makes Your Payments More Affordable

The amount of money you spend through a bail bond is significantly lower than posting cash bail. Your agent will only require a service charge or premium to guarantee your release. Even though this amount is non-refundable, it removes a lot of weight off your shoulders.

It Reduces Time in Jail

It can be challenging to mobilize a lot of money from your account or through your assets. This can be more devastating when you're arrested on weekends or holidays when you have to wait until the official jail time to secure your release. Fortunately, bail bonds agents have formulated a way to ensure a temporary release in a short time, meaning that you will not be spending a lot of time in jail following an arrest.

There are Several Payment Options to Pick

Our Pasadena Bail Bonds agents have financial options like collateral, credit cards, and installment plans that their clients can choose. All you need to do is select an option that's flexible enough based on your financial capacity.

Bail Bonds Free Your Savings for Other Expenses

Legal trials are exhausting financially and mentally. You must also have enough money to attend all the court hearings, pay your fines, and other legal expenses that you must settle during your criminal case. This amount can drain your bank accounts, especially when you add to your cash bail. Therefore, it would be more practical to secure a bail bond to secure a pre-trial release rather than spend all your money on cash bail.

You Can Use Your Property as Collateral

Generally, bail works as collateral that allows a defendant to be released from court. However, most people don't know that the court can use cash bails to cover any legal expenses arising from the trial. However, bail bonds allow the use of properties as collateral, which have a higher guarantee of being returned as long as you attend all your court hearings.

There are Fewer Chances of Bail Forfeiture

Whether you post your bail through a property, bail bonds, or cash, there are chances of forfeiture if you don't adhere to the court regulations. However, our Pasadena Bail Bonds agent will assist you through your court proceedings, reducing the risk of forfeiture. Courts can decide to forfeiture your bail if you commit simple mistakes like being late for a few minutes, which you can prevent through the assistance of an agent.

You Can Hire a Public Defender

Courts usually assume that defendants capable of posting cash bails have the financial capability. Therefore, there are slimmer chances of hiring a public defender if you post cash bail. Remember, the court can only appoint a public defender if a defendant cannot afford a private lawyer.

Keeps Your Information Private

Posting a cash bail for yourself or another person puts your information public. Courts usually demand proof from people who have paid their bail in cash to prove their source of the money. This adds extra hustle to your efforts to secure your freedom and extends your time in jail as well.

How Bail Bonds Agent Monitor their Defendants

A bail bond ensures that a defendant doesn't run once released on bail after an arrest. Therefore, defendants should show up in court and meet all other requirements. Our Pasadena Bail Bonds agents play a significant role in ensuring that defendants meet all the court requirements. Here are some of how they ensure that defendants meet their court mandates.

Tracking Court Dates

One of the significant ways that a bail bonds agent can ensure that a defendant appears in court is by keeping track of the court dates. Bail bonds agents can access court hearing calendars, meaning that they can identify whether a defendant appeared in court and know about their next court appearance.

The agents will communicate with you and ensure that you know about the dates and times of our next court appearance. Our agent will also reach out to you a day or two before the court date to remind you about it. This will help you remember the court dates and ensure that you show up.

Contacting the Defendant More Regularly

The second way that our Pasadena Bail Bonds agent can help you meet your court obligation is by maintaining regular contact with you. Most of these agents require their clients to show up in their offices once a week or month. Others might have rules requiring you to check through telephone calls every week and submit to regular drug and alcohol tests.

All these reduce the likelihood of the defendant running and guarantee that they appear in court.

Maintaining that the Defendant Will Return to Custody After Fleeing

Bail bonds agencies can revoke their agreement with their defendants if the defendant doesn't adhere to their requirements. For instance, they can return the defendant to custody if they don't submit to drug and alcohol testing, fail to make regular check-ins, and fail to appear in court.

Use a Bounty Hunter to Pursue You

You waive part of your constitutional rights by signing a bail bond contract. Therefore, bail bonds agents can use bounty hunters to pursue a bail skipper using reasonable force to put you back to custody.

Bounty hunters usually have less red tape than police officers, but they can still arrest fugitives and return them to jail. However, they must have a signed document showing that the person they're pursuing is a fugitive.

What Happens to Your Bail After Your Case

The court can release or forfeiture your bail after your case concludes. You should learn about these two options to be better prepared once your case completes. Here is a detailed look at what happens to your bail after your case.

Refund or Release of the Bail

A bail refund doesn't occur due to the criminal trial outcomes. Defendants should receive their bail once the court concludes regardless of the outcomes. Therefore, if you had posted a bail bond, you should expect the court to return the amount to your agent.

The court takes a few weeks to return your bail. The court will issue a lien on the defendant's lien for those who posted their property.

Please note, if your trial took place in a federal court, the bail would not be automatically released. You will have to file a petition requesting the court to release the bail money. However, in both federal and state courts, some of your cash bails can be used as an administrative fee, meaning that you'll probably not receive all your cash.

Bail Forfeiture

If a defendant doesn't appear in court, it forfeits the amount you have posted as bail. If you had used your property as a bond, the court would order its foreclosure or repossession to sell it at an auction and recover its money.

Even so, defendants can still recover their bail even when they don't make their court appearance. All they need to do is involve their attorneys to petition a reinstatement of their bail rather than sacrificing the entire amount. However, you must provide a good reason why you missed your court sessions.

What You Should Know About Bail Surrender

Cosigners and bail bonds agents have the option to surrender their bail if they raise suspicion on their clients. The following are ways that bond surrender comes into play.

Cosigner's Surrender

A cosigner can cancel their financial obligations under particular circumstances. For instance, they can decide to surrender their financial commitments when the defendant acts in a manner that suggests they might flee and there's a risk of losing their collateral.

Bail Bonds Agency Surrender

Bail bonds agents can also surrender their financial obligations when there are high chances of losing their collateral when a defendant doesn't show up in court. All they have to do is fill the necessary paperwork with the court. Most agents decide to surrender bail when their client is arrested for another crime.

Pasadena Jail and Court Information

It's crucial to have details about the jails and courts in Pasadena, to make it easy to find your loved one after an arrest. Having the necessary court information helps identify where your loved one's trial will occur and ensure that they don't miss any session. Below are the addresses for jails in Pasadena.

Pasadena Jail

207 Garfield Avenue

Pasadena, CA 91101

Phone: +1 744 4616

Glendale City Jail

131 North Isabel Street

Glendale CA 91206

Phone: + 1 818 548 3124

Here are addresses for courts in Pasadena

Find a Bail Bonds Agency Near Me

An arrest of a loved one can prove to be a difficult period for you and your family. At 24 Hour Online Bail Bond, we strive to serve clients seeking bail bond services in Pasadena, CA, with our effective and professional service. Contact us today at 800-930-8999 and schedule an appointment with us.