Los Angeles Bail Bonds Info: Bail Forms

In Los Angeles, bail bonds and the bail bond process stays pretty consistent with the processes established throughout California by the CA Department of Insurance.

When it comes to common arrests for petty crimes, the Los Angeles bail bonds process will only really vary based on the location of the arrest.  While the actual bail bonds process remains the same, wait times for release will vary, depending on if the arrestee is being held at a local city jail within a police station or has been transferred to an LA county jail.  Wait times can also vary based on how busy the particular police station or jail is and how the staff is being utilized that particular day.

For the most part, bail cost and other details will remain constant.   But there are instances throughout the state of California where the bail process will differ in ways that aren’t contingent on the particular location of arrest.  Here are 7 different bail forms that vary slightly depending on the actual crime a suspect is charged with and the nature of their citizenship.

Forms of Bail

Citation Release: A citation release, oftentimes called a “cite-out” is an extremely simple form of bail that requires no financial exchange., and rarely involves a defendant taken into custody.  Officers provide a citation to the arrestee that has an official court date listed.  The appearance of the defendant is purely up to the integrity of he or she cited as no financial burden is imposed, but arrest warrants and additional fines for failure to appear may be issued if the defendant does not attend court.

Surety Bond: A surety bond essentially describes the function of a bail bonds company.  A bail bonds company or other licensed third party becomes the indemnitor of the suspect’s total bail amount, meaning they legally take on responsibility for the total amount.  A fee is charged for the service that the third party or bail bonds company keeps. In Los Angeles, bail bonds fees are set at 10% of the total bail.

Recognizance: This term is used in rare cases where judges agree to waive bail fees for suspects who pledge to attend all of their scheduled court dates.  This is usually reserved for higher-profile cases, cases involving public figures, or cases that present extenuating circumstances to a judge that show the defendant presents little or no risk of flight.

Property Bond: A property bond occurs when a defendant acts on his or her own behalf, presenting real property as collateral for their total bail amount. Under this circumstance, the State becomes authorized to forclose on the defendant’s property if they forfeit bail by failing to appear in court.

Immigration Bond: This is a specific bail situation that occurs when an arrested defendant is determined to be an illegal immigrant to the U.S.  This is a Federal bail bond that is usually dealt with directly with the Department of Homeland Security or the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Cash Bond: A cash bond occurs when a defendant can either fund their own bail amount with cash proven to be obtained by legal means.  It can also be a court-ordered form of bail, giving the arrestee extra incentive to attend trial.  10% cash bonds occur in some locations as well, where defendants are permitted to pay the courts a 10% cash deposit on their bail instead of utilizing a bail bonds company.

Like this bail bonds article? Check out some more recent posts such as our blog on personal privacy here: http://www.my1800bailbond.com/bail-bond-blog/released-on-bail-bonds-personal-privacy or questions to ask a Los Angeles bail bondsman.