Most people who wind up charged with a crime in the criminal justice system have no frame of reference about exactly how to handle the situation. This is most evident when a person notices that a great majority of cases are plea-bargained out as opposed to defended. In many cases, a person who is arrested believes that they must sit in jail until they are granted bail by a judge, but this is hardly the case.
Every county within California, including Riverside, has a bail schedule that allows most of those arrested for crimes to get out of jail before ever standing in a courtroom. This can be affordably expedited by contacting any one of four convenient Riverside County Bail Hotline locations, with an agent who can secure a defendant’s release for only ten percent of the preset bail amount.
Who Benefits from Bail Schedules?
Bail schedules are legal documents created and approved by the Superior Court of every California County. These schedules have a nearly all-inclusive list of crimes, with a corresponding preset bail amount for most of them. The bail schedule is actually beneficial for the county, as well; money is saved by not having to house as many accused offenders for the 2 days it usually takes them to see a judge.
Defendants can also benefit from bail schedules by getting out of jail more quickly, and being able to start preparations for their defense. Having their freedom while waiting for a court date also allows them to not miss any time at work and handle all of their obligations. These preset bail amounts are usually high, depending on the charge, but bail bond premiums in California are set at no more than ten percent of the bail face amount.
Bail for Crimes In Riverside County
Most crimes on the Riverside County Bail Schedule have preset amounts – a good thing of which to take advantage. Once a person stands before a judge, there is a chance that bail can be disallowed due to the circumstances of a case; or the bail chosen at the bench could also be much higher than the minimum shown in the schedule.
There are, of course, certain circumstances where bail cannot be posted before seeing a judge. A murder involving special circumstances or any felony where a person has threatened another with great bodily harm will lead to a person being denied bail. One crime that stands out in the Riverside County bail schedule is the crime of assaulting the President or another government official. Though such a crime against the President would be a federal one, the preset bail amount stipulated on the schedule is still $100,000.
A person arrested for a fourth or subsequent DUI also faces a harsh bail amount, which will be a minimum of fifty thousand dollars. One surprising bail amount listed is for the charge of having a weapon on school grounds – even with the tragic consequences that could occur due to this crime, the bail is still only set at $5,000. There is even a section of Riverside County’s bail schedule that gives bail amounts for crimes that aren’t listed, based on the maximum sentence a person can receive for their crime.
It is important for anyone accused of a crime to remember that every minute spent in jail is time away from his or her obligations to work and family. It is also very difficult to prepare a decent defense from a jail cell. Anyone arrested should contact a Bail Hotline agent as soon as possible and then seek the counsel of an appropriate attorney as soon as they are released.
Download a pdf copy of Riverside County’s 2012 Bail Schedule here.
