Bail
Southern California Courts Reinstate Bail for Non-Violent Offenders
What Was California’s Emergency Bail Schedule? Beginning in April 2020, the Los Angeles Superior Court adopted an emergency bail order in order to limit the spread of COVID-19 in jails. In essence, the order allowed those accused of misdemeanors and lower-level crimes to continue working and living at home rather than staying in overcrowded jails. The emergency bail schedule stated that bail for all misdemeanor and felony offenses had to…
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California’s Cash Bail Phase Out Is On Hold
Sixty percent of people arrested in California never face a criminal charge. According to one study, as many as 48,000 county jail inmates have not been convicted of anything. In many cases, those people are serving time in jail because they could not afford to pay for bail to secure their release. A recent change to California’s bail system aims to end that problem by eliminating the favoritism towards those…
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California Lawmakers Consider Eliminating Bail
Six out of ten. That is the number of people who are arrested and held on suspicion of committing a crime in California who never face criminal charges. This is because those wrongly accused of crimes can spend months and even years in custody while their case works it way through the criminal justice system. Despite ultimately being exonerated, there is still a significant cost paid by many of these…
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New Law Prevents Double Payment of Bail (PC 1305)
The expectation most people have is that a person who is arrested for a crime will be removed from the community and put in jail. However, if you think about it, bail is exactly in line with one of the most fundamental principals of our criminal justice system: each person is innocent until they are proven guilty. This is why even after you are arrested for a crime, in many…
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Why You Need to Contact an Experienced Attorney Before Paying Money to a Bondsman
Typically when a person is arrested and sent to jail for a crime in California, their reaction is to hire a bail bondsman to bail them out. The bail bondsman will usually charge a statutory fee of 10% of the bail amount. This means that if you or a loved one is incarcerated for a crime where the bail is set at $100,000, you will pay a fee to the…
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To Bail or Not to Bail – That Decision Must Be Left to Your Criminal Defense Attorney
If you are arrested, the first thing you will probably think about is how quickly you can be released from jail. This is a logical first thought when faced with the frightening prospect of spending time in jail. However, what you do after your arrest is extremely important and a decision should not be made without thought. Do I Call a Bail Bondsman First? Many people panic when arrested and…
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Change in California Law Allows You to Participate in an Electronic Monitoring Program Even if You Cannot Post Bail (CPC 1203.018)
The California Legislature recently changed California Penal Code section 1203.018, which may allow you to be released from custody while awaiting trial on an electronic monitoring program. This option is available even if you are not able to post bail. Previously you were only able to participate in the electronic monitoring program if you had been in custody for 30 days on misdemeanor charges or if you had been in…
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Former LSU Quarterback Goes To Jail After Judge Revokes His Bond
People should learn from their mistakes. Unfortunately, four former Louisiana State University football players have failed to do so. Now one former player is facing jail time while another will no longer play football at LSU again. Former LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson and Tyrann Mathieu were arrested on October 25, 2012 after police allegedly found marijuana, a marijuana grinder, a digital scale, and 10 bags of high-grade marijuana inside Mathieu's…
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Felony Committed While Out on Bail or Released on Your Own Recognizance
We all know that you could face criminal punishment for violating a law. But what punishment do you face if you post bail, then commit another serious crime while out on bail? In California, this could lead to even more severe punishment. A defendant who is released on bail or on his or her own recognizance will face serious additional punishment if it is proven that he committed a new…
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I’m Out on Bail, and Was Arrested Again, Should I Be Worried?
If you are arrested for a crime, you will have the opportunity to post bail and be released from custody. However, you should never post bail without first speaking to an experienced criminal defense attorney. If you speak with a criminal defense attorney before posting bail not only will you have the services of a skilled lawyer to fight for you, you will also be able to save thousands of…
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