If you or a loved one has been arrested for a crime, you might be panicked about spending days in a jail cell before your hearing. A judge may decide to post bail for your charge, but this might cost you several thousand dollars just for a misdemeanor offense. A Texas bail bondsman can assist you in your time of need, providing you with the means to get released.
At Doc's Bail Bonds, we stand ready to help Texas residents charged with criminal violations, including serious felony offenses. We have the resources and experience to secure a bond for you or a loved one.
Depending on the crime you were charged with, your prior criminal history, and the risk of not making a court appearance, you might be looking at a high bail amount. Not everyone has the cash available to spend thousands of dollars on bail, even if you get it back at the end of your case.
As part of an ongoing effort to overhaul the bail system, Texas legislators have introduced several new bills that would change how the state handles bail bonds. If these bills become laws, people charged with crimes could face stricter terms of release and detention.
Regardless of what may come to pass, our bail bondsmen at Doc's Bail Bonds are here to help you get out of jail. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for calls, as we know just how urgent a criminal case may be. For families of the detained, we can help you locate an inmate to start the bail process.
A new proposed bill, Senate Joint Resolution 5, would give judges the power to deny bail for certain crimes. These crimes include:
Seeing a loved one go down the path of addiction can be devastating. You have likely already helped this person as much as you can, in many different ways. When you find out that your loved one has been arrested for a crime that is related to his substance abuse, you might begin to wonder if it is time to show "tough love" by leaving him in jail to await trial. Especially if he has been arrested several times before, you might be asking yourself if staying in jail would be best for your loved one. Unfortunately, a prolonged stay in the county jail is extremely unlikely to improve your loved one’s substance abuse disorder. Many people who are released from jail immediately return to drug use to cope with the trauma of being locked up in a dangerous environment. If you are able to help your loved one get the treatment he needs when he is released, this may be a better option. It is important to weigh your options carefully before helping someone with a substance abuse problem make bail. An experienced Collin County, TX bail bondsman who has seen many cases like yours can discuss your options with you.
Suppose you receive a phone call in the middle of the night telling you that your 22-year-old son is in jail and needs you to post bail for him. While there are many facets to this situation, the question of whether you should put your home up as collateral for your son’s bond is divided into two separate questions. The first is, can you put your home up as collateral? The answer to that question – with some qualifications – is yes, you can.
As with many things in life, just because you can do something does not always mean you should. So, the second question is, should you put your home up as collateral for your son’s bail? It can be helpful to speak to a licensed McKinney, TX bail bondsman from Doc's Bail Bonds who can answer your questions and help you determine whether you should use your home as collateral for your son’s bail.
The highest average bonds come with the most serious offenses. Unsurprisingly, very serious crimes like homicide, large-scale drug trafficking, and sex offenses usually come with high bond prices. However, the nature of the offense charged is only one of many factors courts use to set bail for individual defendants. The court also looks into how likely a particular defendant is to skip bond based on things like how strong his ties to the community are and whether the defendant has the resources to flee. The seriousness of the current allegations has a lot to do with how likely the court thinks a defendant is to go on the run if he is released before trial. If you need help securing bail, you should contact a licensed McKinney, TX bail bondsman.
Murder is widely considered the most serious criminal offense a person can be charged with. While most people would not risk an escape charge to get out of a charge like misdemeanor shoplifting or simple drug possession, quite a few people would take this risk to avoid a homicide charge. Murder charges can result in life imprisonment or even the death penalty in Texas. Courts sometimes deny bail outright to people who have been charged with particularly major murders.
Most people who get arrested are able to get out of jail on bond fairly quickly, usually within one to five days. However, getting out on bond is only the beginning of your involvement with the criminal justice system. You will need to report to a probation officer for pretrial supervision and comply with any temporary conditions of release you are given, such as abiding by a curfew and refraining from drug and alcohol use. It is common for people to feel as though they are in limbo during pretrial release. You are not exactly free, but you have not been convicted or sentenced either. What you do during pretrial release can help you or hurt you later. If you are struggling with a substance abuse problem, getting help on your own can be an excellent use of your time while you are out on bond. If you cannot afford to pay your bond in full, a licensed Denton County, TX bail bondsman may be able to help.
People who are released from jail on bond usually have to comply with certain conditions, such as not leaving the state, passing substance use screenings, reporting to a probation officer, or wearing a GPS monitor around the ankle. Tampering with an ankle monitor is a criminal offense, and attempts to cheat the device are nearly always unsuccessful. If you remove the monitor or try to deactivate it, you can be re-arrested and required to stay in jail until your case is resolved. Wearing these devices can be unpleasant and inconvenient, but most people would still choose to do so if it means getting out of jail faster. An experienced Dallas, TX bail bondsman can help you with posting bond.
Once released from jail with a GPS monitor, you will be responsible for keeping the device charged at all times. Letting your ankle monitor run out of power can be considered a means of tampering with it or trying to prevent law enforcement from tracking you. Depending on the model you are given, a charge may last as long as 40 hours or as little as 12 hours. You will need to plan ahead to make sure you will be able to charge your device promptly when the battery runs low.
The number one thing your loved one who has just been arrested wants is to get out of jail. A Denton County, TX bail bondsman can help with that part. Working with an experienced bondsman can make getting your loved one released on bond faster and easier. However, even under the best circumstances, getting someone out on bail is a process that can take several days or even several weeks. There are other ways to help your loved one while he or she is locked up. Imagine what would happen if you were abruptly plucked out of your life for several days and what problems you might come back to - this is what your loved one is facing. There is a lot you can do to help make things easier for your loved one while she is in jail.
The closer you are to the person who was arrested, the easier it may be to help him or her. A few of the things you may be able to do to help your loved one include:
When you are trying to help a loved one who has been arrested, you have a long checklist of things to do. Step one is normally trying to help the person bond out of jail so he or she can go home to wait for trial. If a person does not bond out, he or she could sit in jail for years while criminal charges are pending. You may also need to help your loved one find a criminal defense lawyer or secure temporary housing if a protection order has been issued and he or she cannot go back to the place where he or she was staying before because the alleged victim lives here. It is normally best to call a McKinney, TX bail bondsman as soon as possible so that you can start the bond process. You do not need to wait until after the bail hearing.
A licensed bondsman can explain how the bond process works in Texas. Knowing the process can be helpful, especially if your loved one’s case is a little more complex than most. Your bondsman may also be able to make an educated guess regarding what your loved one’s bail will be set at during the bond hearing and whether he or she could be denied bail outright. Bondsmen are used to working with the local courts and have a better understanding of how they operate than the average person.
Being out on bail is formally called "pretrial release." Making bail allows you to leave jail and go home to wait for your case to be resolved. While you certainly have far more freedoms when you are out on pretrial release than you do in jail, you are less free than you were before your arrest. Even though you have not been found guilty of any crime yet, the court is probably going to impose some conditions you will have to live with during pretrial release. These conditions are meant to prevent you from committing other crimes while your case is pending and to ensure that you will return to answer to your charges. If you need help getting out on pretrial release, a licensed McKinney, TX bail bondsman can help.
Some defendants will be required to wear a GPS monitor around their ankle while out on pretrial release. This type of GPS device is fitted and locked around your ankle before you can leave jail. The device cannot be easily removed, and if it is, an alarm will go off, sending law enforcement after you. You must keep the device charged at all times. Any attempt to tamper with or remove this device can result in criminal penalties, and you can have your bond revoked.