What is Bail and When is it Posted?
The purpose of posting bond is to assure the people charged with offenses appear in court as scheduled. Although “bond” or “bail” is usually an amount of money, it can also be the persons guarantee or recognizance that he/she will appear. Conditions of bond can be imposed by the judge, restricting contact with victims or witnesses, electronic monitoring (house arrest), and various other conditions by order of the court. Bond is set one of two ways: 1) a predetermined amount based upon the courts misdemeanor bond schedule for the offense charged, or 2) by the judge if a felony offense is charged. If the person is charged with a misdemeanor offense, a predetermined bond amount will be set and you may post bond at any time after the person has been booked into jail. In cases involving a felony offense, the arresting law enforcement agency will contact the judge to set bond (felony bond is set within 48 hours of arrest).
