If your loved one has been arrested as a suspect in a crime in the past, you must have experienced the bail process. If you were granted bail and you settled it through the help of bail bondsmen in Orlando, you are probably wondering how the judge arrived at the price of your bail, this is typical thinking, and you have come to the right place to find out just that. There is a procedure, and there are criteria that judges use to determine bail price. Let's take a look at how judges decide how much to set bail at.
Bail is the sum of money a suspect is asked to pay the court so that the suspect can be released from jail to go home and wait for their court hearing date. Typically, a suspect is supposed to be locked up till his/her hearing, but this can take a long time and ensure that the suspect shows up for his/her hearing, a sum of money is paid to the court.
Except you have a legal education background, it will be difficult for you to figure out how the bail process works or the criteria judges use to arrive at how much exactly a defendant has to pay for bail. There are a number of deciding factors which a judge has to consider before deciding how much to set bail at and the most important factors are the details of the case. Ideally, a "bail schedule" exists which is a list of different crimes and the amount of bail attached to each of them. So, this bail schedule is used most of the time to determine how much a defendant will pay as bail.
For severe crimes or if the criminal is considered to be potentially dangerous to the society, the judge may choose the bail amount very high or even deny bail altogether. For violent crimes, the judge has the right to use his/her discretion, but the most important thing to know is that the more serious the crime is, the higher the bail price will be.
Bail is put in place to make sure the defendant stays in town after they get released. If there is substantial evidence against the defendant and the judge thinks he/she will most likely be convicted, the judge will set the bail to a high amount of money. Sometimes, the defendant will be unable to pay for the bail, and if by chance, they can, probably with the help of bail bondsmen in Orlando, it will be almost impossible to run given that they have put a lot of money down for their bail.
If the suspect is a previous offender and has skipped bail before or has misbehaved in court, the judge may be inclined to deny him/her bail. Or the judge may set a very high bail just so what has happened in the past does not repeat itself. The judge will no doubt raise the price of bail if the suspect is on parole or probation.
Other than the criminal history or records of the defendant, the court will also check the personal, work and family history of the defendant too. This is to have a clear picture of what kind of individual the suspect is. If the defendant is a stable citizen who has developed strong roots in the community he/she lives in, it is unlikely that such a person would skip town. This can influence the judges' decision to grant bail and be lenient with the bail price.
Apart from making sure the defendant shows up in court, the judge would want to make sure the public is safe even after the suspect is released on bail. If there is anything that makes the judge feel that the suspect might pose a safety risk to the public, the judge might increase the bail amount or completely deny bail. If the judge also thinks the defendant is dangerous to him or herself and can cause harm to him/herself if released out of jail, the judge may set the bail high or deny the bail.
Other than the "bail schedule" which assigns different bail amounts to specific crimes, the judge can choose bail amounts at his/her discretion. The judge can use different factors as long as those factors are relevant to the case. In most cases where bail price is set high, this is to make it difficult for the defendant to come up with the bail except they can secure the services of bail bondsmen in Orlando.
Flight risk is a defendant that is perceived to run out of town before their court hearing. If a defendant is considered to be a flight risk, bail will not be granted, or the bail could be set at an incredibly high price.
Once the court sets bail, the defendant completes the booking process and arranges to get the money paid. The defendant will either pay with his/her money or pay through bail bondsmen in Orlando. Once the payment is made, the defendant will be released from jail.
Trying to work out how judges arrive at bail amounts can be complex for you if you do not have a legal education background. Sometimes, you may even feel like the process is not fair, but then, the court has to find a way to make sure the defendant does not skip town before their hearing. To release yourself or your loved one from jail by paying the bail, contact bail bondsmen in Orlando to get this sorted out for you. Call Mike Snapp Bail Bonds today on 407 246 0919.
