After an arrest, staying in jail may be bad in more ways than one. If you need convincing, remember that jails are crowded, noisy, dirty, and dangerous. The worst thing about jail, though, is the way they prevent defendants from working on their defense. It's almost impossible to work with a criminal defense lawyer to clear your name from behind bars. Once you are bailed out of jail, your taste of freedom could be temporary if you don't follow the bail provisions. To find out about bail revocations and what might happen to you, read on.
Bail is Conditional
Bail is only granted when the judge ascertains that the defendant will return for future court dates and won't offend while they are free from jail. When bail is offered, the defendant agrees to a list of conditions and disobedience can have them back behind bars in a heartbeat. Once bail is revoked, an arrest warrant is issued and the defendant could be picked up by law enforcement and returned to jail. Then, they're back behind bars but now they have an additional charge or two added on.
Look at this list of common problems some defendants run into when they're out on bail:
- Failing to appear. The main condition of bail is that you appear for all court dates or the judge will issue a bench warrant for your arrest.
- Weapons charges. A common condition of bail is that you cannot have a weapon in your possession or your vehicle.
- Associating with known criminals. Most of the time, defendants are prohibited from hanging around with felons.
- Contacting alleged victims. You may also be banned from making contact with any alleged victims or witnesses.
- Being arrested again. Naturally, if you get arrested again, your original bail is automatically revoked.
Money Issues
There is more than one way to pay bail. If you pay the full bail, you may not get any of that money back. You can be out thousands of dollars in bail money. Most people don't pay the full bail amount and use a bail bonding company instead. While bail bonding rules can vary from state to state, a bail revocation means you will owe your original bail amount to the court or to the bail company who paid your bail in the first place.
Using a bail company to deal with bail matters makes good sense. There is less upfront money to pay and bail bonding personnel are friendly and helpful when you need it the most. Contact a licensed bail bond company in your area to learn more.
