Did you know that in Texas, there are approximately 505,000 different unique individuals booked into local jails each year for common crimes? The Collin County Detention Facility, located in McKinney, Texas can hold around 1,600 inmates.
Many of these detainees use bail to get released as they wait for trial. This bail is a sum of money or property handed over to courts that act to assure that the defendant will appear at their trial.
The cost of bail varies depending on the severity of the crime. Several criteria affect the amount requested for bail, including the offender, the jurisdiction, and the offense allegedly committed. The risk of flight risk is more probable when bail is high. It’s a class A misdemeanor to skip bail bonds in McKinney, Texas.
How Bail Amount is Determined
If you are arrested, you have the legal right to seek release through a bail bond at a reasonable price. The Eighth Amendment to the US Constitution assures that reasonable bail is offered.
Bail ensures that the defendant is committed to attending their trial and safeguards the general public from harm instead of punishing the offender for a suspected crime.
This is How Bail Bonds Work
If you are arrested, law enforcement takes you to the nearest county jail for processing. Below is a list of activity that takes place before being released from prison on bail:
- You have to provide your personal information
- You will have your photo taken
- Your personal property will be taken, and a uniform supplied
- You will have your fingerprints taken
- You will have a full-body search
- Police will check for any outstanding warrants
- Police will do a general health check
- And finally, police will put you in a holding cell to await trial or bail hearing
The court schedules a hearing in front of a judge within 24 hours of the arrest. You can also wait until your ‘initial appearance’ with the court to consider possible bond reductions if you cannot pay the full bail sum at that time.
You have a few options if you need to get out of jail quickly. The most common choice is to hire a bail bond agent and begin the bail bond process. Once you have the bail bond amount, you can post the bond at the local jail by you or a bail bonds agent.
Using the services of a bail bondsman generally requires collateral and a co-signer on the bail bond.
How Bail Costs Are Determined For Common Offenses
The judge will also determine how much the bail should be. Ultimately, the Judge also decides whether or not the suspect can even be released on bail. Many of their decisions will be made based on a variety of factors, including the following:
- The seriousness of the crime
- Keeping the risk to the public to a bare minimum
- The accused’s probability of committing additional offenses until their next hearing
Even though there are numerous factors that influence the bail price, estimates for bail cost by certain crimes are listed below. Remember, however, that there are variances in the actual bail bond amount set because each jurisdiction determines bail amounts.
– Bail For Restraining Order Breaches
Bail can be set anywhere between $15,000 and $150,000. The amount depends on when the violation occurred and criminal history.
– Breaking Immigration Laws
This falls under a government bond. It’s likely that you will need to post if you are taken into custody and arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau.
If ICE takes an immigrant into custody or detains them at the border, they can secure release if they post a cash bond. Bail for this offense is an average of $1,500 and $250,000. Many people cannot afford to pay this amount, so a using a bail bond service can be beneficial.
– Charges of Possession of Drugs
The seriousness of drug possession charges varies greatly. It’s therefore hard to determine an average bond amount. The Judge decides and sets the amount of bail by:
- The number of drugs you have in your possession
- The sort of drugs you have in your possession
- Your intent of using the drugs, whether for personal use, manufacture, or distribution
- Whether you have any prior charges
The typical fine for a first-time offense is approximately $2,500. Bail is then set from between $500,000 and $5,000,000 for more significant amounts of drugs with the intent to distribute.
– Drinking and Driving
The cost of bail for first-time offenders can range between $500 and $2,500. Second-time perpetrators can expect a bail of up to $10,000. Second-time perpetrators can expect a bail of up to $10,000.
Following four charges, the charge becomes a felony crime. After that, bail can be set upwards of $50,000. In some cases, depending on whether it involves gross negligence, the amount can rise to as much as $100,000!
– Burglary or Robbery
Robbery charges depend on the gravity of the crime. First-degree robbery and second-degree robbery are the two grades for robbery charges.
First-degree robbery is the more severe offense. Both crimes fall under felony acts.
Bail for second-degree robbery can be $25,000 to $50,000. First-degree robbery can reach $100,000.
Minimum bail:
- If you use a firearm or force is used on another person, a minimum bail of $50,000 applies
- If the accused has a previous felony conviction, a minimum bail of $100,000 is set
Auto theft can result in an increase of bail to $100,000. All of these bail amounts are subject to increase based on the monetary value of the stolen goods.
Get Help With Bail!
If you are arrested and you find yourself with your hands cuffed behind your back and you are taken in a police cruiser to be processed for a crime… you may need help. This can be very real and certainly is a life-altering experience.
Even more eye opening is having jail bars shut behind you, and you start to worry about how you can get out of this situation quickly.
Some times it’s not you but a loved one being charged with a crime. Don’t wait to contact Not Guilty Bail Bonds! We are the fastest growing Bail Bonds Agency in Northeast Texas. Not Guilty Bail Bonds will go above and beyond to get you or a loved one out of jail.