Bail refers to the funds you deposit with the court clerk as an assurance that you will return to court if you are released from jail for court hearings. When arrested, you will attend a hearing where the court determines your bail amounts. It is important to understand that bail is not always guaranteed. Some circumstances could prompt a judge to deny you bail or determine a bail amount that is too high.

Therefore, it would be wise to use a bond dealer to post bail on your behalf. At 24 Hour Online Bail Bonds, we are available at any hour to our clients seeking bail bond services throughout San Bernardino County, CA, to ensure you do not spend unnecessary time in police custody.

Overview of Bail in California

Bail is written permission allowing a defendant to be out of jail while they wait for their criminal trial or other results of the criminal process. Immediately after an arrest, you will be taken to:

San Bernardino Police Department

710 North D Street
San Bernardino, CA, 92401
909-384-5742

Loma Linda Police Department

655 East Third Street
San Bernardino,CAN
909-387-8313

San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department

655 East Third Street
San Bernardino,CA 92415
909-387-3545

Join San Bernardino Police Department among other local police stations

If your crime is not serious, you could be released without bail. However, for some cases, the court needs an assurance that you will not flee and avoid trial. A bail hearing is set to determine the amount you need to pay for a release with a pending case. 

In most cases, bail amounts are too high to raise on short notice. Fortunately, a surety bond company can post your bail at a fee. This helps eliminate the burden of gathering enough money, which could take a while. It is important to understand that bail does not exist for all crimes. The court has the discretion to deny your bail. The bail amounts may vary depending on your character and other circumstances of your case.

If you or your loved one faces an arrest, it can be difficult to raise the bail amount on time and avoid spending time in jail. Therefore, you should consider contacting a San Bernardino County Bail Bonds agent for a quick and efficient release. 

When you contact a bail bond agent, they will assess the risks in your situation. This is done by finding more information about your personal, financial and professional life. They will also consider your flight risk. The factors of your case may go into determining the value of the property you will need to give as collateral for your bail. 

If the bail bond agency determines that you don’t pose any flight risk, a bond application form is filled to finalize the process. After paying the bond amount, the bail agent will deliver it to the court to secure your release.

Types of Bail Bonds in San Bernardino County

There are several types of bail bonds in California. Since not all bails are written the same, different situations call for different types of bail. Some bail bonds are used frequently, while others are used in extreme cases. Some of the common types of bail bonds include;

Cash Bond

The bail is paid in full amount in cash for a cash bond before a defendant is released from jail. You can pay a cash bail by producing a cashier’s check or money order. The court clerk is responsible for receiving the bail amounts. If you appear for your court hearing as required, your money is refunded after your court case ends. 

Surety Bond

A surety bond is the most common form of bond offered in California. A San Bernardino County Bail bonds agent will post your bail in exchange for a fee of up to 10% of the total bail amount. The bail agents are liable for your appearance in court. Therefore, the surety bond company will need collateral before posting your bail. When you fail to appear for a court hearing without a reasonable excuse, the court forfeits the bail. To avoid a loss, the surety bond agent will auction the property you presented as collateral. Also, the agents will be responsible for finding you and presenting you to court.

Using a surety bond is an easy way out since you can receive bail online or by phone wherever you are to avoid wasting unnecessary time meeting with the bail agents.

Unsecured Bond

An Unsecured bond is not secured by a deposit or a lien on your property. Instead, you will sign an agreement stating that you will pay the full bail bond if you fail to appear for the court hearing.

Property Bond

A property bond requires a pledge of the property to the court. The judge requires the equity of property given to the court to be at least twice the bail amount. The court holds onto the lien until you appear to court and your case is concluded. This bail bond is often applied in more serious cases with a large bail.

Federal Bond

If you are arrested and charged with a federal crime, you may be eligible. A federal bond works the same as a surety bond, but the rates for this type of bond are often higher.

What Happens at the Bail Hearing in San Bernardino County?

A bail hearing starts when the crown presents your allegations before the court by reading the police report written after your arrest. If there are witnesses, they may testify concerning the alleged crime and the arrest. The main witness in a bail hearing is the police officer in charge of the investigation.

After reading the allegations, your attorney will have an opportunity to present evidence. Also, your San Bernardino County Bail Bonds agent may testify in your bail hearing. Your lawyer must convince the court that it is in the best interests to grant you bail. 

If your loved one has been arrested in San Bernardino County, you may be concerned about the bail costs. Bail agents from 24 Hour Online Bail Bonds can structure a flexible bail bond financing option that works for your situation.

Factors that Affect Bail Amounts

The decision to grant you bail in California may depend on the following factors:

  • Bail Schedules

Sometimes, you can post bail with the police even before a bail hearing. Most local jails have bail schedules that indicate the amount of bail required for different types of crimes. Generally, bail required for serious felonies is particularly higher than that required for minor offenses. Sometimes, the court modifies the bail schedules based on other factors in your case.

  • The severity of the Crime

An individual who faces serious criminal charges is more of a flight risk. This is because of the potential consequences that could result from a conviction. Therefore, the more serious your charges are, the higher the bail you must pay for a release.

  • Flight Risk

Bail is an assurance that you will return to court on the specified date after a release with a pending criminal case. If you have a history of fleeing after posting bail, the court may set higher bail. Your defense attorney may try to convince the judge that you are not a flight risk at the bail hearing. When you pay a high amount in bail, it can be difficult and leave behind the money. A surety bond company will not want to lose its money if you fail to appear in court. Therefore, they can resell the property you used as collateral to pay back what they lose in bail forfeiture.

  • Your Criminal History

The judge will take your past criminal record and employment history into account when setting bail. Even for minor cases, individuals with no criminal record are likely to garner a lower bail than repeat offenders. Even when you were not convicted for a previous offense, failure to appear in court could significantly affect bail for subsequent offenses.

  • Ties to the Community

An individual with a family or other ties to the community is less likely to flee. Therefore, you can try to convince the court to lower the amount of bail indicated on the bail schedules by proving strong ties that will keep you around.

  • Risk of Harm to Yourself and Others

The judge may consider your safety and that of other people in the community before releasing you on bail. This may be the case when you are charged with a criminal offense such as assault or other domestic violence crimes. If you threaten yourself or other people, the court will likely set a higher bail or deny it altogether.

  • Your Income and Assets

If you have a high income, it may not be difficult to leave behind a few thousand dollars. However, a person with a low income and few assets may be affected significantly by leaving behind their money. If you are wealthy, the court may set a high bail even for minor crimes.

Conditions of Bail

If you are released on bail before the conclusion of your criminal case, the court will impose certain conditions that you need to follow strictly. Some conditions are general, while others are specific to the circumstances of your case. Failure to follow the set requirements of bail could prompt an arrest. Some bail conditions include:

  1. House arrest and electronic monitoring. When the court grants you bail and you are released, you may be put on house arrest. You will also be required to wear an ankle bracelet where your movements are monitored and controlled. However, you may be allowed to go to work, attend school or counseling sessions.
  2. Travel restrictions. If you are out on bail, the court requires that you avoid traveling out of the jurisdiction facing criminal charges. If there is an urgent matter to which you want to attend by traveling, you must inform the court beforehand.
  3. Adherence to a restraining order. If you face charges for a violent crime and the court may issue a restraining order against you. In this case, you need to avoid contact with victims of your crime or other individuals involved in your case.
  4. Surrendering your passport and driver’s license. If the judge believes that you could flee to avoid the criminal proceedings, the court may confiscate your driver’s license and passport as a condition of bail.

Appealing a Bail Decision

The rules for appealing a bail decision vary between the state and federal crimes. However, if you are denied bail or the amount is set too high, you can appeal the decision. It is crucial to understand that the scope of a bail hearing appeal is limited since the court will only be interested in mistakes happening with the hearing. It is common for the court to uphold the original bail decision after an appeal.

However, you can prove that the court failed to consider important factors when setting bail. If you are successful in your bail decision appeal, the court could lower a high bail or grant bail where it was denied.

Benefits of Seeking the Services of a Surety Bond Agent in San Bernardino County

When you or a loved one faces an arrest, you may want to handle the situation on your own. However, you accrue numerous benefits by seeking the services of a San Bernardino County Bail Bonds Agent. A surety bond company could make your life easier during these challenging times. Some of the benefits of hiring a bail agent include:

1.  Saves you Money

If a surety bond agent posts your bail, you will only be liable for 10% of the bail, which is often the service fee you pay. However, if you decide to handle the bail on your own, you will be responsible for the whole amount, often difficult to raise on short notice.

2.  Avoid Liquidating Your Assets 

Arrests are not always anticipated. Therefore, paying a cash bail may force you to liquidate valuable assets or make difficult financial choices. If you use a surety bond to sort your bail situation, you do not need to come up with a large amount of bail.

3.  Avoid Unnecessary Financial Investigations

When you manage to pay a high cash bail, the large amount of money could raise red flags on your finances. This will create unnecessary investigations into the source of your money and slow down your release process. There are circumstances where the court rejects your cash bail. This can be when there is a question about the source of your money. For example, if you are charged with a crime like an embezzlement, the court may refuse to accept a cash bail. Therefore, you will have a burden to prove the legitimacy of your funds. 

You can avoid the hassle of proving your finances by seeking the help of a surety bond. There are several bail bond financing options. If you do not have the money to pay your bail, you can provide a vehicle or property lien to act as collateral, and the bail bondsman will post your bail.

4.  Easy Availability of Funds 

Arrests take place at any time in California. Sometimes. The time taken to raise money for bail will prolong your stay in jail. It is often a relief when you find a surety company that offers twenty-four-hour services. This helps ensure that you do not spend time in jail regardless of the time of your arrest. Also, if you do not have cash at hand to pay for the surety services, you can explore easy payment plans. A payment plan allows you to cover the bail amount in installments, which is easier.

5.  The Bail Bonds Agent’s Confidentiality 

A bail agent understands the importance of confidentiality in legal matters. Therefore, they can offer you the financial assistance you need with utmost honesty and discretion. If you decide to post cash bail, you may need to call friends and relatives to help you raise the high bail amount. This could spread the word about your arrest and invade your privacy. Often, society stigmatizes individuals facing criminal charges, and this could affect your life. When you use a surety bond, the issues concerning your arrest are confidential.

6.  Knowledge of Local jails and Courts

Working with a bail bond agent can make your life easier since they know the ins and outs of the local courts, such as :

Superior Court of California County of San Bernardino

247 West Third Street
San Bernardino,CA 92415
909-384-1888

San Bernardino Justice Center

247 West Third Street
San Bernardino,CA 92415
909-708-8678

Which is difficult to handle, especially when it’s your first arrest.  Also, bail agents from 24 Hour Online Bail Bonds  understand all the proceedings happening in these local jails:

San Bernardino County Sheriff Central Detention Center

630 East Rialto Avenue
San Bernardino, CA 92415
909-386-0969

Corrections Department

655 East Third Street
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0061
909-806-3516

Glen Helen Rehabilitation Center

1800 Institute Road
San Bernardino,CA 92407
909-708-8371

Find a Bail Bonds Agent Near Me

If you face an arrest for a crime in California, you could be released to go home as you wait for your hearing date. However, you will be required to deposit a certain amount of money in court, which acts as a guarantee that you will not flee and refuse to appear in court. Bail amounts often vary based on bail schedules, your flight risk, among other factors. Failure to post bail may cause you to spend time in jail awaiting your hearing which is not pleasant. 

If the amount set as your bail is too high, it would be best to contact a bail bonds agent. The bail bonds company will post your bail at a fee. If you or your loved one faces an arrest in San Bernardino County, you will need the services of a bail bonds agent. At 24 Hour Online Bail Bonds, we can post your bail on time and help you avoid spending more time in jail. Contact us today at 800-930-8999.