When the police arrest you or your friends in Granada Hills, CA, you might have limited options to secure their release. You may spend a significant period in custody due to a lack of enough funds to post your bail. Thus, you want to work closely with a reputable bail bond company to help you post the bail after your arrest. The bail bond company will help you, especially when your bail amount involves huge amounts.

Ensure you go for a Granada Hills bail bonds company that offers quality services. At Steven Mehr Bail Bonds, we have well-trained bail bond agents. Our attorneys are determined to help you walk out of jail regardless of your arrest time. Therefore, work with our bail bonds agents if you seek to post bail.

Meaning of Bail in California

Bail is the money you pay at the courthouse clerk or arresting agencies to secure your release from custody. During your release, you promise the court to show up at all future court hearings. Upon appearing at the court as ordered, the court will refund you the total bail amount. Alternatively, when you fail to follow the bail conditions, the court will forfeit the bail amount.

The Booking Process in California

After the police arrest you, they will take you to custody. The officers will then start a booking process. The process will include carrying out the following practices:

  • Fingerprinting

  • Bail determination

  • Mugshot or photograph

  • Identity verification

  • Interrogation

  • Formal charges

How California Bail is Set

After your arrest, you may review the county’s bail schedule or even inquire your bail bonds agent to review it for you when the crime is less serious, like property damage or Driving under the influence, which doesn’t result in fatalities. Mostly, the judge will release you after the booking process without posting bail.

Alternatively, the court will require you to post the bail when the county bail schedule outlines the crime. The judge may decide to increase the bail amount without following the bail schedule. During the court arraignment process, the judge will consider your case's circumstances and decide whether to decrease or increase the bail amount. After the court arraignment, your criminal defense lawyer may request the court to hold a hearing within two days after the hearing to challenge the bail amount.

The judge will consider several factors when you request them to lower your bail amount. So, if the prosecutor wants to increase your bail amount or you want the court to reduce it, the court will consider the following:

  • The severity of the offense

  • Did you make any threats to the alleged victim?

  • How many people sustained injuries and the nature of the injuries

  • The type of drug or weapon involved

  • Your criminal record

  • Whether your release would pose a danger to the public

  • Your likelihood to appear at the court for future hearings

The court may also decide to deny you the bail completely. The circumstance may occur when you have an active arrest warrant from another jurisdiction. As discussed above, when your case is less serious, the court will release you on recognizance. Speak with Granada Hills Bail Bonds, and they will help you learn more about how the court sets your bail.

What are the Conditions of Bail in California?

The court will more likely impose conditions when you walk out of jail through recognizance or after posting bail. The court allows your defense attorney to participate in imposing the conditions as they attempt to convince the court to reduce the bail amount. The court will put certain routines when releasing you on recognizance. Ensure you carefully follow the conditions of the bail to avoid more consequences. Other conditions the judge will likely impose will include:

  • Remaining in the state until your case trial

  • Remaining under house arrest

  • Not contacting the alleged victim

  • Surrendering your driver’s license and passports

  • Avoiding drugs and alcohol consumption

Posting a Bail-in Granada Hills

The fastest and easiest way to post bail is through paying total cash. The money is refundable after your case trial only if you have not violated any bail conditions. You may pay the total cash by producing a cashier's check, traveler's check, or even money order. You will take the money to the arresting agency or the clerks at the court.

When the Court May Refuse the Cash Bail

Sometimes the court will not accept the bail amount when the origin of the money is suspected of coming from a criminal enterprise. For instance, when you face charges for embezzlement of public funds and one of your friends posts a cash bail amounting to around $200,000 and above, the court may suspect the origin of the money. So, you will have the burden to prove the source of the money is legit. Otherwise, the court will not accept it.

Posting a Bail Bond

The most common method to post a bail bond is through working with a well-insured and licensed bail bond company since the bail might be thousands of dollars. But you will pay the bondsmen a certain fee. The fee is usually 10% of the total bail amount. For instance, when the court sets a bail amount at $100,000, you will pay the bondsmen a fee of $10,000. After you pay the bondsmen, they will deliver the bail amount to the court and secure your release. Remember, the premium you pay to the bondsmen is non-refundable.

You may also place your property as collateral when you’re securing the bond, usually when the bail is large. The collateral is primarily real property because the personal property may disappear. Also, it's rare to find a personal property with a large value unless it is a collection of items. When you fail to appear at the court as scheduled and the criminal court forfeits the bail, the bondsmen will also sell the collateral. Your friends or family members post many bails.

What Happens When You Fail to Show Up at the Court as Ordered?

When you post bail through a bail bond company, you will risk the total bail amount forfeiture. If you placed your property as the collateral, the bail bond company might sell them to gather the money forfeited by the court. When you do not place your property as collateral, the bail bond company may hire bounty hunters to come knocking for you.

The bail bond company will pay the bounty hunters a certain amount when they apprehend you. The law allows the bounty hunters to arrest you and return you into custody. The court gives the bail bond company a grace period to apprehend and return you into custody. Otherwise, the company will pay the full bail amount.

The court may vacate its orders on the bail forfeiture when you appear at the court within 180days after the date of bail forfeiture only when you have a reasonable excuse. The valid excuses include:

  • You had mental sickness

  • Injuries

  • You became disabled thus could not appear at the court

  • You suffered an illness with a medical statement or report

  • You were placed in a different custody

Failing to show up at the court as scheduled is a serious offense in California. You may even face additional charges after the court settles your current case. So, when you walk out of custody through posting bail, you want to observe the bail conditions. You may even discuss with your criminal defense attorney to help you learn more about the consequences of skipping a court date. Speak with our Granada Hills Bail Bonds agents, and they will help you understand the effects of failing to appear at the court as scheduled.

Why Go Steven Mehr Bail Bonds?

After your arrest, you might be confused about what to do. Where will you post the bail? Which is the best bail bond company to work with? What happens when I don’t have enough money to post the bail? Steven Mehr's bail bonds are here to answer your question. The company is well insured and comprises well-trained experts with extensive experience in handling bail bond services. Work with our bail bonds company today and enjoy the following bail bond services:

  • Experienced Professionals

An arrest might come anytime and interfere with your normal duties. Thus you want to work with an expert to help you walk out of custody immediately. Choosing to work with a bail bond agent who is not well experienced in handling bail bond cases will worsen your situation. That’s why our Granada Hills bail bonds agents are the favorite to work with immediately after your arrest.

  • We Provide FlexiblePayment Plans

Thanks to Granada Bail bonds agents for the different payment options they provide. You don’t have to worry about the payment plans. Our company has various structured payment methods to facilitate your release from custody immediately. So, you will only wait for fewer hours for the relevant agency to affirm your transaction. We also understand you might have insufficient money due to uncontrolled factors, so we will develop a plan that suits your financial capability.

  • We Offer Bilingual Services

America comprises of many different speaking communities. Thus it means you are more likely to have a client with little or no knowledge about the English language. For instance, about 20% of the US population comprises Spanish-speaking people. So, when the Spanish speaking client wants to seek bail bond services, they will more likely move to a bail bond company that provides bilingual services. Thus speak to us anytime and anywhere, and we will help you post bail.

  • We Don’t Have Hidden Fees

Many bail bond companies post fake fee payments on websites only to attract clients and later switch to huge amounts. One of our core values is transparency to our clients. Thus we will not charge you any other fee. We don’t punish our new or existing clients by charging them extra fees. We will only charge you the fee outlined in the bail bonds agreement. We will first help you learn and understand the whole bail bond process before working on your case.

  • We Offer Full Time Bail Bond Services

Our Steven Mehr Bail Bonds company provides quality bail bond services 24/7. We are available whenever you require our legal services, whether in the daytime or at night, over the weekends and holidays. Also, you don’t have to wait for the regular working hours to post the bail. Speak with our Granada bail bonds agents, and they will help you post the bail anytime. We don’t have answering machines or recorded messages.

What are the Various Types of Bail Bonds in California?

You might be surprised to learn there are various types of bail bonds in California. Each bail bond is unique and differently written. The nature of your case will also call for a different type of bail bond. For example, several factors will determine the type of bail bond suiting your case. The factors may include your criminal record, the nature of the crime, among others. The bail bonds vary in use; others are commonly used, while others are only applied for severe crimes. The bail bonds are:

  • Cash bonds

  • Unsecured bonds

  • Property bonds

  • Surety bonds

  • Federal bonds

Jail and Court Information in Granada Hills

Granada Hills Courthouse

16730 Chatsworth Street

Granada Hills, California 91344

818-363-3556

Zelzah Courthouse

9810 Zelzah Avenue

Northridge, California 91325

818-924-4707

Merridy Courthouse

17830 Merridy Street

Los Angeles, California 91325

818-924-4707

Balboa Courthouse

16915 Napa Street

Northridge, California 91343

818-351-3234

Granada Hills Correction Center

16911 San Fernando Blvd

Granada Hills, California 91344

818-923-5592

Van Nuys Detention Center

8100 Balboa Pl

Van Nuys, California 91406

818-442-0400

Twin Towers Facility

450 Bauchet Street

Los Angeles, California 90012

213-473-6100

Men's Central Jail

965 North Vignes Street

Los Angeles, California 90012

213-626-2245

Contact a Granada Hills Bail Bonds Agents Near Me

When the law enforcement officers arrest your loved one in Granada Hills, you want to act fast to ensure they walk out of jail as soon as possible. Contacting our bail bonds agents at Steven Mehr Bail Bonds is the best thing you want to do. Reach us at 800-834-8522, and our attorneys will work on your case conveniently.