What is the process for bail bonds in Los Angeles?

Posting a Los Angeles bail bond is similar to the process in other areas of the United States. After the suspect is arrested, he or she will go through the booking process, which includes getting fingerprinted, photographed, and entered into the national database. Afterwards, the arrestee is sent before a judge or magistrate who determines the price of bail, depending on the crime, the defendants prior arrest history, and previous similar cases. At this point, the defendant is able to be released bail bond.

Typically, the family member or friend of the defendant cannot afford the full price of bail, so they must hire a bail bondsman. In Los Angeles, bail bondsmen charge a 10% fee of the total bail. This number is determined by the State of California; anything higher or lower is against the law. The bail bondsman is insured by an insurance company that will pay the bail should the defendant flee or skip court dates. If the defendant attends all scheduled trial dates, the bail bondsman is refunded the entirety of the bail amount.

After being released, the main priority of the defendant is to attend every scheduled court date. If he or she misses one, is consistently late, or jumps bail, then the bail bondsman will be stuck with paying the whole bail amount and will often go after the person who posted bail to recoup some of the losses. They will also hire a bounty hunter to track down the defendant and bring him or her into custody.

If the family of the arrestee can afford to pay the entire bond, then no Los Angeles bail bondsman is necessary. This is called a “cash bond” and must be provided in cash for the entire bail amount. The amount will be returned at the conclusion of the trial, assuming the defendant attended all trial dates.