What is an excessive bail amount?
The Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution prohibits excessive bail. Courts have deemed a bond amount “excessive,” when judges set the amount higher than an amount reasonably calculated to ensure that the defendant will appear in court after released from custody, stand trial, and submit to a sentence if found guilty. In order to successfully challenge a bail amount as excessive, the moving party must first move for a reduction of the bond amount. Only after the request for a reduction is denied by the trial court may the defendant take an appeal. IV. Conclusion Frequently, I am the one who receives the call at 3:00 a.m., after someone else is awoken, by someone else wanting to get out of jail. I advise the caller to immediately contact a bondsman. I stress to them that they must contact a bondsman who is reputable. A highly regarded bondsman will check the computer system to identify the charge(s) and location of the inmate, and then make arrangements to secure the defenda
