Posting Bail

Whenever a person is arrested for a crime, she or he will be taken to a police station to be questioned and must complete the booking process. Once the appropriate information has been recorded, the suspect will be required to post bail before being released. Bail is a security payment that is held by the court to ensure that you will show up for your hearing. The bail amount is based on how great of a flight risk you are considered to be.

If the court decides that there is a high chance that you will fail to show for your hearing, your bail will be set very high. Factors that may affect the bail amount include the severity of your charge, the number of charges you face, and past history of missing hearing dates.

If you have been arrested on criminal charges, consider contacting Austin criminal defense lawyer Ian Inglis at 512-472-1950 to assist you with posting bail and to begin preparing your defense for court.

Bail Options

When you are required to post bail, there are a number of options available to you. Before making a decision and posting bail, consider the alternatives available to you:

• Call an experienced criminal lawyer immediately. Your lawyer may be able to negotiate with the judge and convince him or her to release you without posting bail. Your lawyer can essentially vouch for you and convince the judge that you are not a flight risk.
• Pay your bail in cash. If you are able to afford the entire bail amount, consider paying for it in cash. You will save 10% of your bail amount up front, and the money that you post will be returned to you after the case is finished (provided that you appear at all court dates).
• Hire a bondsman to post your bail. If you cannot afford to post your bail in full, a bail bondsman can do it for you. The bondsman will pay your bail to the court, and as a fee you pay 10% of your bail amount to the bondsman. While you end up paying less money up front using this method, your 10% fee will not be returned after your case has concluded.

Contact Us

For sound legal advice and assistance regarding bail and the criminal trial process, please contact experienced Austin criminal lawyer Ian Inglis today at 512-472-1950.