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How to begin
the bail bond release process?
What are
the first steps?
Having the following information will quicken the bond release
process. It�s O.K. if you are missing or do not have all the information below,
just advise the bail agent who will be glad to help you.
1. The arrestee�s full name and date of birth ?
2. The jail name and city or state ?
3. The date arrested ?
4. The amount of bail ?
We accept all major credit cards, cash, checks, Western Union and can process the bond by telephone or in person.
From your smart phone tap on the click to
call button below.
The
History of Bail
Bail
is some form of capital which is deposited or pledged to a court in order to
convince it to release an accused from a jail facility, on the understanding
that the accused will return for trial or forfeit the bail ("skipping
bail" is also illegal). Depending upon the court involved
and the crime(s) of which one is accused. Bail is not always available it
can be legally denied for an offense / charge which the governing
legislature has determined to be non-bialable.
Roots of US Bail Laws
Bail laws in the
United States grew out of a long history of English statutes and policies.
The ties between the institution of bail in the United States is also based
on the old English system. In attempting to understand the meaning of the
American constitutional bail provisions and how they were intended to
supplement a larger statutory bail structure, knowledge of the English
system and how it developed until the time of American independence is
essential.
Bail
Law in England
In medieval England,
the sheriffs originally possessed sovereign authority to release or hold
suspected criminals. Some sheriffs would exploit the bail for their own
gain. The Statute of Westminster (1275) limited the discretion of sheriffs
with respect to the bail. Via the statute, bailable and non-bailable
offenses were defined, however, the sheriffs retained the authority to
decide the amount of bail required.
In the early
17th Century, King Charles I ordered noblemen to issue him loans. Those who
refused were imprisoned. Five of the incarcerated filed a habeas corpus
petition arguing that they should not be held indefinitely without trial or
bail. In the Petition of Right (1628) the Parliament argued that, in
violation of the Magna Carta, the King had imprisoned people without just
cause.
The Habeas
Corpus Act (1677) states, "A Magistrate shall discharge Prisoners from their
Imprisonment taking their Recognizance, with one or more Surety or Sureties,
in any Sum according to the Magistrate's discretion, unless it shall appear
that the Party is committed for such Matter or offenses for which by law the
Prisoner is not bailable."
The English
Bill of Rights (1689) states that "excessive bail hath been required of
persons committed in criminal cases, to elude the benefit of the laws made
for the liberty of the subjects. Excessive bail ought not to be required."
This was a precursor of the Eighth Amendment to the US Constitution.
Bail Law in the United
States
In Colonial
America, bail law was based off English law. Some of the colonies simply
guaranteed their subjects the protections of British law. In 1776, after the
Declaration of Independence, those which had not already done so, enacted
their own versions of bail law.
Section 9 of
Virginia's 1776 Constitution states "excessive bail ought not to be
required..." In 1785, the following was added, "Those shall be let to bail
who are apprehended for any crime not punishable in life or limb...But if a
crime be punishable by life or limb, or if it be manslaughter and there be
good cause to believe the party guilty thereof, he shall not be admitted to
bail."
Section 29
of the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776 states "Excessive bail shall not be
exacted for bailable offenses."
The Eighth
Amendment in the US Federal Bill of Rights is derived from the Virginia
Constitution, "Excessive bail shall not be required...", in regards to which
Mr. Livermore commented, "The clause seems to have no meaning to it, I do
not think it necessary. What is meant by the term excessive bail...?!"
The Eighth
Amendment, to the Constitution, like the English Habeas Corpus Act of 1678,
requires that a suspect "be informed of the nature and cause of the
accusation" and thus enabling a suspect to demand bail if accused of a
bailable offense.
The
Judiciary Act of 1789
In 1789, the
same year that the Bill of rights were introduced, Congress passed the
Judiciary Act. This specified which types of crimes were bailable and set
bounds on the discretion of a judge in setting bail. The Act states that all
noncapital offenses are bailable and that in capital cases the decision to
detain a suspect, prior to trial, was to be left to the judge.
The
Judiciary Arct states, "Upon all arrests in criminal cases, bail shall be
admitted, except where punishment may be by death, in which cases it shall
not be admitted but by the supreme or a circuit court, or by a justice of
the supreme court, or a judge of a district court, who shall exercise their
discretion therein."
The Bail
Reform Act of 1966
In 1966,
Congress enacted the Bail Reform Act of 1966 which states that a non-capital
defendant is to be released, pending trial, on his personal recognizance or
on personal bond, unless the judicial officer determines that such
incentives will not adequately assure his appearance at trial. In that case,
the judge must select an alternative from a list of conditions, such as
restrictions on travel. Individuals charged with a capital offense, or who
have been convicted and are awaiting sentencing or appeal, are to be
released unless the judicial officer has reason to believe that no
conditions will reasonably assure that the person will not flee or pose a
danger. In non-capital cases, the Act does not permit a judge to consider a
suspect's danger to the community, only in capital cases or after conviction
is the judge authorized to do so.
The 1966 Act
was particularly criticized within the District of Columbia, where all
crimes formerly fell under Federal bail law. In a number of instances,
persons accused of violent crimes committed additional crimes when released
on their personal recognizance. These individuals were often released yet
again.
The Judicial
Council committee recommended that, even in non-capital cases, a person's
dangerousness should be be considered in determining conditions for release.
The District of Columbia Court Reform and Criminal Procedure Act of 1970
allowed judges to consider dangerousness and risk of flight when setting
bail in non-capital cases.
Bounty Hunters
Know
your Miranda rights.
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