Hermosa Beach

Apprehension after you have committed an offense can be devastating. What is even more troubling is to remain incarcerated because you cannot afford bail. The legal justice system offers you a bail option, but if you cannot consolidate the funds, you must explore alternatives for a jail release. Bail bonds are the quickest way to purchase your freedom in Los Angeles County and Hermosa Beach. With the surety bond, you only require 10% of the set bail as a fee for the services. Therefore, if you want to buy your freedom pending trial, talk to the Bail Bonds Company. We understand the devastation caused by an arrest, which is why we can help you secure release promptly.

Hermosa Beach Bail Bonds

Bail is the money you deposit with the court or that someone else pays to buy your freedom. The money ensures that you will attend your hearings after a jail release. Not all defendants in prison must post bail in exchange for freedom. They are allowed to exit jail on recognizance. If you can obtain a recognizance release, you will not have any financial obligation to the court. Nonetheless, the release option is available to a few first-time offenders with no criminal record.

Another way you can be released after an arrest without any financial commitment is through a citation. The arresting officer issues a citation. It contains information on the charge you face and the date you should appear in court. Instead of taking you to jail, the officer issues this document and allows you to go home. Before they let you go, you sign the paperwork, agreeing to abide by its requirements. A citation typically includes the following:

• The date, place, and time of the alleged crime.
• Your official name and personal information.
• The offense committed.
• The arresting police officer’s name.
• Details of your court date.
• A statement signed by you promising to show up in court.

If you are not lucky enough to be released on a citation by the apprehending officer or a personal recognizance by a judge, you must pay money to exit police custody. You will be held in jail until the next hearing if you cannot consolidate the bail money.

When you cannot afford bail or want to save money, you should use the Hermosa Beach bail bonds service to buy freedom. It is easy to confuse bail and bail bonds because they are related. Bail is the cash you pay the court to purchase freedom, while a bail bond is an indemnity contract between you and a bondsman for them to deposit a surety bond for you at a fee. So, bail can be paid in many ways, including with cash or a surety bond.

Bonds offer you the chance to buy freedom without paying the total bail. Your bondsmen deposit a surety bond in court, warranting reimbursement for the entire bail when you do not honor planned appearances. Bond is advantageous because it is pocket-friendly. Besides, your Hermosa Beach bail bonds service understands how the justice system works and will guide you to attain pretrial release.

The court sets bail depending on the alleged offense, but you should not confuse it with a penalty. It is only a means to enter a contract promising to obey court orders when you are released before the conclusion of your case. It is collateral you deposit with the court to assure you will appear in court once released. When you abide by court instructions and the case is closed, they will exonerate your bail. If you relied on a bondsman for release, the court would refund their surety bond.

Apprehension, Booking, and Pretrial Release in Hermosa Beach

The process of receiving bail starts with apprehension. If arrested, you will be moved to Hermosa Beach Jail for intake. You will be apprehended because the law enforcement officer witnessed you committing a crime or reasonably believed you were planning to engage in the commission of an offense. In some instances, an arrest warrant is necessary before enforcing an arrest.

No matter the offense you are accused of, you must go through the intake procedure if the officer does not release you on a citation. The process begins with you being moved to the nearest jail, police station, or sheriff’s office for booking.

Booking entails the following:

• Your personal details like name, physical description, and age.
• Confiscation of your items.
• A background check on your criminal history and whether you have active arrest warrants.
• Fingerprinting.
• Mug shots.
• A record of your crime.
• Confiscation of personal effects like credit cards, cash, keys, phones.
• A drug or weapon search to ensure you do not take contraband to the holding cell.

If you are found with narcotics or weapons, they will be confiscated and used as an exhibit in court. After the booking process is over, the officer will move you to a holding cell. The apprehending officer then sends a report of your arrest to the prosecutor, who evaluates it and decides whether to file charges. When the evidence in the statement is not convincing, the district attorney will not file charges. Instead, they will return the report to the officer for further investigation, and you will be released. The prosecutor only files charges when there is compelling evidence that an offense has occurred.

If charges are preferred against you, you will stay in jail until the arraignment hearing, usually within 48 hours of the apprehension, when the judge will deny or grant bail. Waiting for the arraignment hearing to obtain a bail release is not required for minor offenses. A police officer can check your crime and the amount of money you should pay as bail using the Los Angeles County bail schedule. Once you pay the money, you will be released.

Setting Bail

The judge mentions your charges and plea options in the arraignment hearing, including guilty, not guilty, or no contest. When you plead not guilty or no contest, the court sets bail. Several aspects determine the funds you will deposit as bail. The aspects are:

1. Bail Schedule

Before the judge sets bail, they must refer to the bail schedule. The schedule lists various offenses and the recommended bail sum. The bail is set in Hermosa Beach using the Los Angeles County bail schedule. The violations included in the plan are:

• Penal Code.
• Business Code.
• Insurance Code.
• Professional Code.
• Health and Safety Code.

You will pay the figure provided in the schedule based on your crime. When an officer uses the schedule, the amount cannot be adjusted. Nonetheless, with judges, it acts as a guide. They have the discretion to increase or decrease the bail figure provided if it is within the law. The estimations commence with the figure provided in the schedule. The judge will increase the amount if you are charged with multiple violations. The same applies if your offense has numerous victims.

Other factors that will impact how the judge utilizes the schedule are:

• Offenses that promote or further the activities of a criminal gang.
• Drug offenses.
• Crimes inflicting extreme violence or injury or victims.

2. The Severity of the Supposed Offense

Violent offenses like robbery or rape attract harsh penalties upon sentencing. If the evidence against you is overwhelming and a sentence is imminent, releasing you on bail is a huge risk because you could flee the country to avoid trial. Therefore, the judge can opt to deny you bail or set the amount so high that you will be willing to stay and attend hearings despite the harsh penalties you risk when convicted.

3. Public Safety Threat

As much as California puts a lot of effort into decongesting jails by offering pretrial release, if, as a defendant, you compromise the safety of the community, you will be denied bail. Nevertheless, if the judge is lenient with you, they will grant bail but set the amount high. In addition to the hefty fine, the court will impose harsh conditions, including restrictive orders against your victims, to keep society safe.

4. Flight Risk

The possibility of you jumping bail to avoid trial and, consequently, the consequences of your conduct is called flight risk. Bail aims to guarantee your return to court when the judge orders so. Therefore, if there is an elevated possibility you will be jumping bail, they will set a hefty bail to discourage you from fleeing and leaving the cash behind.

The court considers several aspects when determining whether you are a flight risk. One of these factors is community ties. If you have strong connections with society, there are low chances you will run away after exiting jail pending trial, making you a low flight risk. Also, you are a flight risk when you have an extensive criminal record of skipping bail.

5. Income and Property

The judge will consider your earnings and assets when setting bail. If your income is exceptionally high and you own many assets, setting low bail will not encourage you to attend court hearings because you are not afraid of losing the money. Nevertheless, when the bail is excessive, even if you have a high income, you will fear losing the money if you skip court. This could motivate you to adhere to all court orders, including attending proceedings.

Co-signing Hermosa Beach Bail Bonds

If someone close to you is apprehended, you do not want them to stay in jail for a prolonged period of time. You want to act as a co-signer and guarantee their prompt jail exit. As a co-signer, you assure the Hermosa Beach bail bonds service that the arrestee will not miss all planned court hearings. Besides, you are the person who will pay the 10% premium fee to the bondsman for the bonding services.

A co-signer is anyone familiar with the arrestee. Nonetheless, you are encouraged to only cosign for an arrestee with whom you have a close relationship, like a friend, family member, or colleague. Bondsmen do not always accept everyone who volunteers to be a co-signer. They start by looking at your credit score. If you have a good rating, it shows you will not have problems with regular payments to the bonding service. Again, it would help if you had many assets and enough capital to secure the surety bond.

Another consideration for a co-signer is employment history. When you have a long-term job and have maintained the position for years, it is a sign you can afford to clear the full bail if the arrestee jumps bail and the bond is forfeited.

Lastly, the Hermosa Beach bail bonds service requires a co-signer to be someone responsible. Your responsibilities as a co-signer begin when the arrestee obtains a pretrial release. Once the defendant is free, you are liable for their actions and, therefore, must ensure they conduct themselves as per the law and adhere to court instructions. Your collateral or money is at stake when the defendant jumps bail. You must do everything in your power to ensure they comply so that at the end of the case, the court can refund the bond to your bondsman, and you can obtain your collateral back. The bondsman must make sure you are an accountable individual before letting you co-sign a surety bond.

A Co-signer's Responsibilities

Aiding someone to purchase freedom comes with obligations. When you become a co-signer, you must agree to deposit the premium fee for the bonding services. And if the bail is expensive and you cannot afford to pay 10% of the total amount upfront, then you should talk to the Hermosa Beach bail bonds service about a friendly repayment plan.

Similarly, you are responsible for paying any additional expenses arising from the defendant's conduct during the probationary release period. Missing court hearings or jumping bail hurts the bondsman because their money faces the risk of forfeiture. Therefore, they charge an additional fee for violations of the bail terms. And because you are responsible for the defendant’s actions, you will pay the price.

Furthermore, you are responsible for ensuring the arrestee honors arranged hearings and adheres to the probationary release conditions.

As much as you have many obligations as a co-signer, you also have rights. You can refuse to be someone’s co-signer. Additionally, you have the right to revoke the surety bond if you believe the defendant intends to skip bail. Doing so saves your money or assets because the defendant will be rearrested, and the bond company will return your collateral, protecting you from huge losses.

Hermosa Beach Bail Bond Repayment Plan

The premium fee to the Hermosa Beach bail bonds service can seem small because it is usually 10% of the total bail. Bail in Hermosa Beach is exorbitant. However, the high cost of bail should not discourage you from purchasing your freedom. If you cannot afford the money, talk to a bondsman, and they will develop a flexible repayment plan to work with once you are outside the jail.

All the bondsman will need is for you to deposit the premium fee and sign a contract agreeing to make monthly installments of a particular amount. The amount of the fee deposit depends on the total bail. If the set bail is significantly high, you should expect to make a big deposit. Besides, the bondsman will consider your capacity to pay. They will assess your income and assets to see if they are adequate to satisfy the monthly installments.

A high credit score also means you are good with debt repayment, which will be no different from premium repayment.

Bonding services in Hermosa Beach are different. Therefore, you should talk to the bondsman you are considering to understand their repayment strategy and the cash they take as a deposit. A high credit score is also paramount to being bonded out.

So, even if you are in jail and looking for a co-signer, you must find someone who will meet the eligibility criteria to co-sign your bond. The individual must be willing to pay the premium fee or develop a repayment plan. If you pick the wrong person, they will not be accepted, and you will be forced to wait longer in jail before finding a suitable co-signer.

Merits of Partnering with your Hermosa Beach Bail Bonds Service

Several ways of posting bail are available for defendants. However, many opt for bail bonds because of their many benefits. A crucial advantage of surety bonds is that they reduce family disruptions. Having a court case can be stressful for you and your family. Also, being arrested and detained can be overwhelming, primarily because it separates you from your family. Bondsmen help prevent this pressure by ensuring a prompt release and attending court hearings while out of jail.

Also, bondsmen will save you money because you only pay the premium fee. Even if you had the money to pay cash bail, a bonding service would assist you in preserving the money and using it elsewhere. Additionally, they will offer professional guidance until the case is closed.

Court and Jail Information

Hermosa Beach Police Department

540 Pier Avenue
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
310-380-0360 

Los Angeles County Superior Court

825 Maple Avenue
Torrance, CA 90503
310-787-3700

Find the Best Bondsman Near Me

You can secure a pretrial release if you are detained in Hermosa Beach, awaiting arraignment and trial. You have many ways of posting bail, but the best option is bail bonds. At Bail Bonds Company, we can help you buy your freedom pending trial through our bonding services. Reach out to us today at 323-579-1415 for a no-obligation consultation.