Do You Have To Pay The Full Bail Amount In California?

Here, we like to talk about bail and everything surrounding the term. We will answer the question, ‘Do you have to pay the full bail amount in California?’ and we’ll go over additional, helpful information for you to note.

Keep reading to check out some of the most commonly asked questions related to bail in California.

How does bail work?

What a great question to start the article off with. Bail is the sum of money that you or a loved one deposits to the court for an arrested person’s freedom. That fee is then processed and the defendant is released from jail until his or her first court appearance.

In California, you can post bail in cash or through a bail bondsman. The amount of bail you owe is determined by a judge. The offense and criminal history will both be taken into account. Sometimes, an offense will not require bail. In that case, you’ll be released and later summoned back to court for proceedings.

If you pay the cash bail and you attend all of your scheduled court appearances, you will get the full sum back that you deposited to the courts in the beginning. The same does not go when you’re working with a bail bondsman; instead, you’ll pay the agency approximately 10% of the total bail amount. That charge is non-refundable.

What happens if you don’t pay the bail bonds?

In California, you are required to either pay the full cash bail or a contracted premium with a bail bondsman company. One or the other must happen, or you’ll stay in jail until trial is over. Even then, you may be convicted with a sentence, so freedom may not be accessible for quite some time.

If you do not pay the premium in full or through a payment plan to your bail bonds agency, the bondsman has the right to sue you and see you in civil court. When this happens, it’s likely that the company will revoke your bond and you’ll have to either find funds to cover the cash bail or attempt to work with another reputable bail bond company. If neither of these options are to work for you, you will be taken into custody to await trial.

How much is bail in California? 

It all depends on the nature of your crime, but more often than not, bail amounts are set between $10,000 and $100,000.

Generally, people cannot afford to pay the 100% cash sum upfront, so they look at alternative options like bail bonds companies.

Is there a way to reduce the bail amount requested?

It’s not easy and not everyone gets it, but there is an option to try and get your bail reduced. You’ll have to put in a formal request and may end up arguing against the prosecution. The factors that the judge and court(s) will consider include:

• Offense severity
• Whether anyone was harmed and severity of harm
• Whether threats were involved
• Whether drugs or weapons were connected
• Whether there was a threat to public safety
• Employment status
• Property and business relations
• Past criminal record
• Likelihood of appearance or disappearance for court dates

The likelihood of lowering bail on offenses like murder, kidnapping, robbery, and sexual assault are slim to none. Unusual circumstances and justification must be found for such action to take place, like the discovery of new evidence.

If you have any questions about the above information, please feel free to reach out to one of our professionals at Synergy Bail Bonds. We are here to help!