Aladdin Bail Bond’s Indio Valley branch is usually pretty busy this time of year. Why? The Coachella Music Festival. But it seems this year, with the implementation of Proposition 47, business has been slowing down.
Coachella Weekend Boon for Aladdin Bail Bond Company
When Proposition 47 passed last year, it reduced the punishment for a number of drug possession charges, which means it also caused a drop in the amount of customers Aladdin Bail Bond gets for during the Coachella festival’s two three-day weekend events. With less people being put in jail for drug charges, that means less people are in need to obtain bail bonds to get them out of jail.
Still, Aladdin wants festival goers to know they are there should the weekend’s partying lands them in jail. The company has rented a local woman’s lawn as a place to set up a tent to advertise that Aladdin can supply a bail bond should they need one. The tent lures potential customers in with not only electronic dance music, but also free waters.
“Any eyes we can get means better business for us,” said Aladdin Bail Bonds manager Alma Santana.
So far the set-up has worked for the company. This past weekend was the first weekend of the event and Aladdin helped to bail out two concert goers that wound up in Indio Jail for drug possession. While thirty-three other people were cited, they were released by police, no doubt a result of Prop 47’s new take on drug possession.
Two years ago Aladdin bail bondsmen handled close to ten times the amount of clients that they did this past weekend. In fact, during the same weekend two years ago, on average the company secured 20 clients per day that needed bail bonds. Because most Coachella-related offenses are drug-related, and since the passing of Prop 47, most concert goers that are detained by police never end up in jail, and thus do not need Aladdin’s bail bond services. Sometimes those concert goers are detained, questioned, and then released to return to the festival before the night even ends.
“They don’t have to get booked in, so they don’t have to post bail,” said Santana.“It’s fewer than before, but it’s still plenty busy,” she said.
Bail Bonds
Chances are you will have to get a bail bond to get out of jail if you or your loved one has been arrested for any type of serious crime. You may have also seen television commercials about bail bonds, but unless you’ve directly dealt with the issue of posting bail, you may find that you need a brush up on your knowledge about bail bonds.
The Meaning of “Bail”
Bail constitutes an agreement between you, the defendant, and the court. As the defendant, you agree to post a specific amount of money in exchange for the assurance that you’ll return to court for your scheduled court date. Upon appearing in court as scheduled, and as stated in the bail bond agreement, you get your money back.
As an example, if the court sets bail at $15,000, this means you can pay $15,000 to the court in order to be released from jail. Once you return to court on your specified date, you’re able to get your money back. You’ll get your money back even if you’ve been convicted at your trial. However, you don’t show up for even one of your court dates, you will immediately forfeit your $15,000 and a warrant for your arrest will be issued. If you can’t pay the bail the court has set, you won’t be able to get released from jail. Therefore, you will have to remain in jail until the date the court has set for your trial.
Not being able to post your bail can be a difficult and stressful situation. It means you may have to remain in jail for months between the time of your arrest and the beginning of your trial. Because of this, posting bail usually becomes your first priority after being arrested. Therefore, this is the reason people turn to bail bondsas a means to be released from jail.
How Bail is Determined and Set
Once you’ve been arrested, you’re immediately booked to jail. Once in jail, all your vital information, such as name and personal information, as well as your photo and fingerprints are recorded in the police department’s computer and database. Also, all your personal items are impound. After being booked, you’ll be given a sobriety test. This may be a second sobriety test if you’ve been arrested due to failing the first sobriety test. After this, you’ll be permitted to make one phone call, after which you’ll be put into a jail cell. After this your hearing will be scheduled, where the judge will decide what the amount of your bail will be. This usually happens within 48 hours after your arrest.
Normally the majority of jurisdictions use a schedule for bail to decide the bail amount that should be set. The Superior Court of Los Angeles County sets a bail of $20,000 if a person has been arrested for a felony. The maximum sentence possible for for a felony is 3 years in jail. However, the judge hearing the case has considerable leeway when they decide to set bail. Frequently they will also take external circumstances into consideration when setting bail.
As an example, if this was your first offense, you are currently employed, and have a family in the area, the judge may decide to reduce your bail amount below the required amount. The judge may even decide to completely discard it.
Another example would be if you have multiple offenses on your record and the judge thinks you might be a flight risk. In this instance, the judge’s decision might be to increase your bail or even revoke your ability and permission to post bail.
Some jurisdictions may assign your bail as soon as you’re booked and not wait for an initial hearing. This typically happens only in low level offenses. A police officer will advise you whether you will be able to immediately post bail of if you will be permitted to use a credit card to pay your bail amount.
How Bail Bonds Work
Bail bonds are similar to personal loans. After putting down a small percentage for the total amount, a bail bondsman or agent, gives you the rest of the money needed for your bail. Like a loan officer, this bail bondsman or agent is similar to the lender of a personal loan.
As an example, if your bail is $15,000, you or a family member would be required to make a deposit of $2,000. The bail bondsman or agent would then give you the $15,000 bail needed for you to “post bail.” Most bail bond companies also will require you to provide them with some type of collateral in order to get the remaining money needed for your bail bond. Collateral is usually a deed to your house, item of jewelry, or car. This collateral is used in order to secure the bail bonds’ loan in case you don’t show up at your appointed court date, in which case you would not get your money back. After your trial is over, and you receive your money back from the court, the money is returned to bail bond company you received your bail from.
Due to the fact that this is a financial risk the bail bondsman and bail bond company take because of this loan, they will often take additional precautions to make sure you attend all of your court dates. The bail bondsman wants to make sure his or her company receives back all the bail money it loaned you. As a result of these precautions, bail bond companies will frequently do the following:
- Prefer a relative or friend put up the necessary collateral for your bond. This is because you will then be less likely to miss a court date since your relative’s or friend’s house or property is on the line in for your bail bond.
- Call you before each court date in order to remind your about your upcoming trial.
- Require you to make periodic check-ins at their bail bond office to make sure you haven’t left town.
Like most defendants, you will probably agree that these precautions are a small prices to pay in order to be able to stay out of jail while waiting for a trial date or during your trial.
Bail Bonds and Their Various Types
Some of the different bail bonds that are available include:
- Surety Bond: This type of bail bond is secured by an insurance company. It’s common for bail bondsmen to work with insurance companies in order to provide financial backing for their bonds.
- Property Bond: If you own property (i.e., a house), the bail bondsman may be able to use this as collateral instead of putting down cash. With this type of bond the court places a lien on your property and can sell it if you do not appear for your court date(s).
- Release on Own Recognizance: Sometimes a judge will agree to release you without setting any bail amount. This normally happens only if you are accused of a low level crime and the judge doesn’t consider you to be a flight risk.
- Cite Out: This would be if you are caught doing something illegal and the officer then decides to issue a citation to appear in court instead of booking you into jail.
- Immigration Bond: If you are detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an immigration bond will permit you to be released from jail until your hearing is completed.
Bail and Bounty Hunters
If you decide to flee or skip your trial and a bail bondsman is not able to reach you, chances are they will then hire a person called a “bounty hunter” in order to track you down and then return you to custody.
How to Secure a Bail Bond
If your bail amount is set higher than you or your family member or friend can afford, you will need to secure a bail bond as soon as possible. However, there are still important considerations and questions you need to take into consideration.
A bail bondsman will want to make sure they’re getting the most for their money. To do this they will charge a bail bond bond premium fee that is usually 10-20% of your bail bond amount. This fee is normally not refundable. This means that even if you show up for all your court dates and receive your bail money back, you will never get that 10-20% of your money back.
Therefore, it would be wise to look for a bail bondsman that would require a lower premium. Also, you will also want to take into consideration if there is an initiation or application fee in addition to the premium.
In addition to bail bond feeds, there are also court and attorney fees you need to take into consideration.
Working with a Sevens Legal Criminal Lawyers, Defense Attorney
If you have been arrested and accused of a crime, you needs to acquire and work with a criminal defense attorney such as Sevens Legal Criminal Lawyers. Once you have discussed the specifics of the allegations against you with your attorney, they will inform you of the strengths and weaknesses pertaining to your case, as well as any risk of conviction and punishment you may be facing. A criminal defense attorney such as Sevens Legal Criminal Lawyers, can also negotiate a plea deal as well as decide to move forward with trial, while working constantly to make sure your best interests are served. At Sevens Legal Criminal Lawyers, every defendant has a right to our zealous defense. Contact Sevens Legal Criminal Lawyers, today for a free consultation.
Criminal Defense Attorneys
3555 4th Ave.
San Diego, CA 92103
Phone: (619) 297-2800