You May Not Have To Stay In Jail Until Your Court Date

If you have been arrested, you don't have to stay in jail until your trial date. After your arrest, you will go in front of a judge for your arraignment. At that time, you will either plead guilty or not guilty. Your lawyer will ask for you to be released. If the judge approves it, there are a couple of different ways that you can be released. 

Own Recognizance

One of the things the judge can do is release you on your own recognizance. This means that judge is releasing you without you having to pay bail. Basically, you will sign a note promising the court that you will appear on your court date. There may be some minor requirements. For example, you may have to report to the court or a parole officer weekly, or you may need to wear an ankle monitoring system. Generally, if you are a first time offender or your crime is relatively minor, you are more likely to be released on your own recognizance. It will also help your case if you have strong ties to the community, a lot of support, or a good job. These are all things that show that you are trustworthy enough to show up at the appointed time. 

Bail

The other choice is bail. When you are offered bail, the judge will give you an amount that you have to pay in order to be released. The judge will say what that amount is and then give you a chance to get out either by paying the whole thing or by paying a certain percentage through a bail bond. You get the bond by working with a bail bondsman, like one at A Bail Now Bail Bonds, Inc. What you do is give them some kind of surety, and they provide that bond to the court, assuring that you will appear in court. If you miss your court date, whatever surety you put up for your bond is at risk of being seized by the bondsman. The bondsman will also send someone out to bring you in so that you can set a new court date. If you missed the first date, you will probably have to stay in jail until your court date. 

If you have been arrested, there may be choices available to you so that you don't have to stay in jail until your court date. Getting out on bail is just one of those choices. 

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