subject: Hiring A Lawyer For Arraignments And Bail Bonds Makes Good Sense [print this page] The process of being arrested and put on trial for a crime is a process that will affect your life in many ways. You will be exposed to new situations and difficult vocabulary and will be glad to have a criminal defense attorney by your side from the start. Knowing what is coming in the process will be helpful as you experience all that is involved with arraignments, bail, and bail bonds.
When you have been accused of committing a crime and have been arrested and taken to jail, you will begin the process of being booked into jail. You will be put into the jail computer system so that they jail has record of you being there. Your property will be searched and removed to ensure that you are not in possession of illegal drugs or weapons. After this, you will most likely be taken to a holding area of some sort to wait for arraignment.
An arraignment is your first appearance in front of a judge. The purpose of this appearance is for the judge to decide if you will remain in custody or if you will be allowed to leave to await your trial. If you are allowed to leave, he will decide whether or not bail will be charged. There will be no witnesses called, no evidence presented and most likely no comments from the arresting officer. You will probably not even have to speak yourself at this point.
This is where having a lawyer to speak on your behalf is crucial. The bottom line is you being able to discover if you will be able to get a bail bond and get out of jail soon, or if you will be in custody for a longer time. A prosecuting attorney will be on hand to tell the judge whether or not he or she believes that bail should be set and if so how much. Your defense attorney will be able to challenge the prosecutor's statements and add any information that might be helpful to your case. Then, the judge will make the decision on bail.
Judges decide bail based on several factors. One main factor is seriousness of the crime. Obviously, if the crime is more serious then the bail will be set much higher to prevent the accused from getting back out onto the streets. If you have a prior criminal history, you bail will likely be set higher. The more recent your criminal history, the higher your bail will be. Positive ties to the community can be a good thing when it comes to bail amount. This could be things such as owning a home in the community, having family in the community, or having a full time, steady job.
Having an attorney with you from the start, including at your arraignment, can show the judge that you are invested in your situation and that you are highly likely to follow instructions given by the judge and appear when you are required to do so. If you have friends and family in the courtroom at the time of arraignment this will also show the judge that you are a person with ties in the area and that you have people who will support and encourage you throughout the process, including making you show up. The attorney will be the biggest advocate for you when it comes to the entire process through arraignment, bail bonds, and trial.
by: Jed Totus
welcome to Insurances.net (https://www.insurances.net)
