Pretrial Release and Bond for DUI Arrests in Colonial Heights
Following a DUI arrest and booking, an individual meets with the magistrate and finds out whether they must pay bond or not, what the bond amount is, and what the potential conditions are for a pretrial release. Paying bond and being released before trial allow an individual to carry on with their lives, pending their trial date. If you want to know more about pretrial release and bond for DUI arrests in Colonial Heights, speak with a knowledgeable DUI attorney that could answer your questions.
What is Bond?
Before discussing pretrial release and bond for DUI arrests in Colonial Heights, it is important to explain what bond is, and the role it plays in a person’s case. A bail or a bond is essentially a security for a promise that the individual who was charged with the crime will come to court and answer for that crime.
The bond amount is determined by a neutral and detached party that is either going to be the magistrate or the judge at a bond hearing, and the amount is wholly arbitrary. It is just an arbitrary figure that the finder-of-fact creates based off of how they feel.
Posting Bond
Bond can be posted in two ways in Colonial Heights. If the individual wants to pay the bond in full, they can pay it with cash or surety to the court directly and, if they do that, then, at the end of the trial, they will get all of their money back. The other way is through a bondsman where the individual would pay a bondsman a percentage of the bond (normally 10%) and then the bondsman will promise the court, at the risk of the bondsman being arrested, that they will make sure that the person will come back to court.
If someone goes through a bondsman, they will not get that money back and, if they post a bond, then they will get credit from the time that they spent in plus, if they are on house arrest or something along those lines, then the Sheriff’s Office normally will not give them credit and that time that they spent out on bond does not count towards what they are sentenced to.
Defining Pretrial Release
Pretrial release refers to being released from jail prior to the actual court date. An experienced lawyer should be very involved in the pretrial release because they are the ones who will facilitate bond hearings with the judge (and appeals if necessary) to help increase the chance for that person to actually given a bond by the court.
If a person is not compliant with a pretrial release in Colonial Heights, then they will be arrested, their bond will be revoked, and they will be forced to wait in jail for a new court date.
Documents People Receive Following Their Release from Jail
Following someone’s release from jail, whatever they have when they were arrested, will be returned to them. They do have to sign paperwork saying that they will come back to court and will be given a court date so the judge knows that they know when their court date is.
The Benefit of a Colonial Heights DUI Attorney
The sooner a person can retain an attorney, the better the chances are that they will be given a bond and secure a release as they are going through the court process. A skilled DUI lawyer may have experience handling pretrial release and bond for DUI arrests in Colonial Heights and could leverage that experience when trying to help you receive bond. Contact a lawyer today and know that you are in capable hands.
