Getting Bail if You've Been Arrested for DUI

If you or somebody you love is arrested with a DUI charge, then it is important to hire a good DUI attorney when you can. Following an arrest for DUI, defendants are arraigned before a judge, at least in the majority of states. The judge is going to establish bail, which is when the defendant agrees to return and address the DUI charge, and it is supported by property, money, or perhaps a personal guarantee by the defendant, a family member, or a friend. The bond can be a mixture of property and cash, just property, or even a surety bond, which is if the defendant and someone else agree to sign to and guarantee the defendant will return to court. Bail should not be set in a way that punishes a defendant. Of course, in the United States, all defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This is the reason that some jurisdictions base the bail on the reasonable ability of the defendant to be able to pay. Bail may be set in a couple of ways: determined by a bail schedule or acc! ording to individual circumstances.

What Is a Bail Schedule?

A bail schedule is simply a schedule which is used to ascertain the bail for each person who's arrested for an offense. The schedule, keep in mind, is more of a guideline for any judge to follow when establishing bail. However, in locations where bail is set based on a bail schedule, most oftentimes, bail is predictable. The common level of bail that the first time DUI defendant will need to pay is a minimum of $1000. Nonetheless, it is not unheard of for some judges to permit a defendant to be released on his own
ecognizance or ROR. Repeat offenders will obviously be required to post a larger level of bail, since their offenses are more serious. Occasionally a judge will hold a DUI defendant with no bond, at a minimum through the initial few court appearances and when this is the case, the DUI attorney might be a vital part of getting out of jail ahead of the trial. This is going to be especially true if the DUI defendant committed a heinous crime, or if they caused hu! rt to other people.

Personal Circumstances

If the DUI is committed in a jurisdiction that doesn't have a set schedule for bail for DUI, the bail is set according to the individual circumstances that surrounded the DUI arrest. The previous record of the defendant also is taken into account. The bail is set to keep the defendant accountable to return to court, never to punish the defendant. If a defendant has a past of not appearing to deal with the charges, they should expect that they'll be paying more bail, and even might be indefinitely held until after the trial has ended.

What are Bail Bondsmen?

If the defendant can't pay his or her own bond, oftentimes a jurisdiction will offer bondsmen. A bondsman will be able to bail you out of jail, but it will be essential to pay them a percentage of the total that's paid. For instance, if the bond is $2,000, he might charge you 10 percent of this amount, or $200.

If you are a defendant in a DUI charge, it is important that you speak to your DUI lawyer at the earliest opportunity.


------------------------------

Are you burdened with DUI charges and need to find a good Sacramento criminal attorney? Check out the Law Offices of Brianne Doyle http://bdoylelaw.com/ or call her at 916-806-6400. She can give you the excellent professional help of a Sacramento criminal defense lawyer http://bdoylelaw.com/criminal-defense-attorney .