subject: California Bail Bonds Guide: Bail Info And Local Statistics [print this page] The bail bonds business can seem a bit frightening to those who are not super experienced with it, but the first thing anyone should try to understand is that the concept of bail is designed to protect them from injustice.
First of all, its important to know that bail bonds are not a part of the legal process in every state when it comes to arrest, booking and release, though some type of bail does exist in the arrest process no matter where you are in the U.S.
We'll start in this article by examining some general info regarding bail bonds and hone in on specifics as it relates to Southern California. Since many of the bail bonds processes are about the same throughout the country, well start by going over some basic information about bail bonds in general so you can get familiar with the general concepts associated with bail bonds, and at the end well get into some of the specifics related to the Los Angeles area, particularly Los Angeles and Van Nuys, the locations of the major LA-area jails.
First, some general bail info.
Bail in California
Bail bonds in our judicial system are actually designed to protect citizens who get taken into custody by law enforcement. Instead of keeping them in jail until their scheduled court dates, bail bonds allow people their freedom until their date of trial so their case doesn't interfere with the rest of their lives.
Judges often set bail amounts to pretty standard levels based on similar cases that have happened before. But they are legally allowed to fluctuate bail amounts from the norm in certain circumstances, depending on the case.
Sometimes bail can be excused altogether, though this is very, very rare. It usually only occurs in cases of prominence or involving public figures. Sometimes, bail can be denied altogether if the defendant poses a perceived threat to the community, though this is also very rare. This usually happens only in cases of particular prominence. Most of the time, bail will be set at an amount over $10,000 Most of us couldn't afford to pay that amount, so that's where bail bonds companies come in. They front the bail amount in the form of a bond, backed by an insurance company and do so for a ten percent fee of the total amount. The bail bondsman is then released from financial responsibility if the suspect attends all scheduled court appearances, and gets to keep the 10% fee.
Bail Bonds Process in LA
In Los Angeles, bail bonds work the same as in the rest of the state. According to the Los Angeles County Sherriffs Departments 2010 Crime and Arrest Statistics Report, 130,959 adults were arrested for some type of crime throughout all areas of Los Angeles County. Thats 358 people a day, just according to the Sheriffs! Most often, bail will actually be administered at the Sheriffs or police stations holding facilities-arrestees are not usually transferred to a county jail.
In rare cases, or when really severe charges are filed, suspects will actually get transferred to county jails. If this occurs in Los Angeles, it usually will be at the Twin Towers facility or the Van Nuys Courthouse.
Bail Process in Van Nuys
Regardless of whether youre dealing with bail bonds in Van Nuys or downtown LA at the Twin Towers, the bail bonds process and the duties performed by a licensed bail bondsman will be exactly the same-just at a different location.
Bail bondsmen will always have to go through appropriate paperwork to release a suspect. After that, the arrested person is free to go until they have to attend their court dates. After that, the bail process is over as long as the defendant appears in court as required. If so, the bail bonds company keeps their 10% fee for their services and the rest of the bail amount is forgiven.
