A Hearing to Determine Bail Bonds

The hearing to determine bail bond occurs shortly after arrest. It is a time for the judge to assess whether or not the defendant is mentally, physically, and financial ready to leave law enforcement’s custody, until their appointed return date. The accused individual’s past and current state are taken into consideration along with their reputation in the community. 

For a defendant, an appearance at a hearing to determine one’s eligibility for and amount of bail can be nerve raking. There are several activities and flaws in your past that can prevent your ability to receive granted bail, especially those with limited resources. But, for others there is a great opportunity for granted bail and time to assist in one’s case preparation before trail. The judge will take all charges and all circumstance surrounding those charges into account. Whether this was a violent crime or involved illegal drugs will definitely count against your possibility for your authorization of bail. However, there is still hope.

The judge will determine bail bond possibilities based on the defendant’s criminal past, reputation in the community, and their financial ability to cover the bond that will be set. On one hand, the existence of criminal activities in his or her past are particularly are particularly damaging when the current charges were committed as a parole/probation violation. This could prove him or her to be a significant threat to others because of the disregard for legal conduct. Beyond parole violation, portions or the complete criminal past of the defendant’s may be mentioned and used to compare to the current circumstances and act in question. Other factors that may be unhelpful to his or her case will be physical or mental state overall and especially when he or she appears in court. Further, the court will be attempting to assess the defendant’s general character. They want to know that this person will not return to the substances or influences that led to the criminal behavior of which they are accused. 

On the other hand, the court wishes to determine the methods and ability of the defendant to pay his or her bail bond, should it be granted. This is where time of clear and upstanding employment and community activity can be helpful. There is also room for one’s family connections and the defendant’s financial ability to pay bond can help with the permitted bail bond release. 

Lastly, there are also stipulations that come with being granted of bail. The defendant may also be required to follow a strict list of guidelines so the court can be ensured that he or she will not pose a threat to any one person or group. He or she will have to stay in a designated residence, stay away from the victim and any related parties, adhere to a curfew, and maintain an abusive substance-free lifestyle while participating in employment or education programs for the duration. The court will do all that it can to protect the safety interests of the community and the pursuit of due process. It is up to the defendant to use bail bond time wisely with the pursuit of his or her innocence or before their date back in court.