Has a Someone You Know
Been Arrested?
Where to Start: Charges and Bonds
If a person you know has been arrested you will first want to know what the exact charges are, if a bond amount has been set, and what kind of bond the person may qualify for in order to be released. If the person was arrested in Travis County, a good starting place is to look at the Travis County Sheriff’s Office website for Inmate Information. This will give you the exact charges, and the bond amount, if one has been set. There are similar websites with this information in many other counties.
For most Misdemeanor cases, the person will be released the following evening on a Personal Bond unless the case is more serious, such as an Assault with Family Violence, or a case where the person has an extensive criminal history. An attorney can often speed up this process by meeting with the arrested person and having him or her “waive” his right to be brought a magistrate if a bond amount has already been set. If the bond amount has not been set, the person will have to wait until the bond is set before the attorney can proceed to try to get the person out of jail. In some situations, the attorney can approach the judge to try to get a bond amount set.
For Felony cases, once the bond amount is set by a judge, an attorney may approach the judge of the court where the case is filed, to determine if the judge is willing to release the person on a bond. The type of bond most attorneys try to get the judge to sign in Travis County is a personal bond, or a variation on a personal bond. That type of bond is called a “cash deposit” bond, and requires that a percentage of the face value of the bond, usually 10% or more, be deposited with the bond in order for the person to be released. After the person’s case is finished, this money goes back to that person, or may be assigned to the attorney as part of the fee agreement.
For Felony cases in counties outside of Travis County, the quickest way to have the person released is through a bail bonds service.
Bail bondsmen provide surety bonds to have people released from jail. The money paid to the bondsman is generally non-refundable.
Some attorneys have also been qualified to post surety bonds, the same type of bonds that bail bondsmen provide. This can speed up the process of having the person released, but could place the attorney into a conflict with his client, if the person fails to appear in court as directed.
Has a Someone You Know Been Arrested? Where to Start: Charges and Bonds
If a person you know has been arrested you will first want to know what the exact charges are, if a bond amount has been set, and what kind of bond the person may qualify for in order to be released. If the person was arrested in Travis County, a good starting place is to look at the Travis County Sheriff’s Office website for Inmate Information. This will give you the exact charges, and the bond amount, if one has been set. There are similar websites with this information in many other counties.
For most Misdemeanor cases, the person will be released the following evening on a Personal Bond unless the case is more serious, such as an Assault with Family Violence, or a case where the person has an extensive criminal history. An attorney can often speed up this process by meeting with the arrested person and having him or her “waive” his right to be brought a magistrate if a bond amount has already been set. If the bond amount has not been set, the person will have to wait until the bond is set before the attorney can proceed to try to get the person out of jail. In some situations, the attorney can approach the judge to try to get a bond amount set.
For Felony cases, once the bond amount is set by a judge, an attorney may approach the judge of the court where the case is filed, to determine if the judge is willing to release the person on a bond. The type of bond most attorneys try to get the judge to sign in Travis County is a personal bond, or a variation on a personal bond. That type of bond is called a “cash deposit” bond, and requires that a percentage of the face value of the bond, usually 10% or more, be deposited with the bond in order for the person to be released. After the person’s case is finished, this money goes back to that person, or may be assigned to the attorney as part of the fee agreement.
For Felony cases in counties outside of Travis County, the quickest way to have the person released is through a bail bonds service.
Bail bondsmen provide surety bonds to have people released from jail. The money paid to the bondsman is generally non-refundable.
Some attorneys have also been qualified to post surety bonds, the same type of bonds that bail bondsmen provide. This can speed up the process of having the person released, but could place the attorney into a conflict with his client, if the person fails to appear in court as directed.