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Understanding Legal Concerns

When I was younger, I didn't really see the point of spending a lot of time worrying about something as silly as liability. However, as my business continued to grow, I started to see the problems with some of our policies. I knew that I needed to consult with some lawyers to figure out how to protect our business, so I began focusing on taking care of things. I wanted to start a new blog to help other people to understand legal concerns, so I made this little website. I hope you can find information on the things you are looking for.

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Understanding Legal Concerns

How Much Bail Is Owed?

by Rose Larson

Bail means one thing for those behind bars and that is freedom. Bail is a lot more complicated than that, however. The potential to be released from jail depends on bail and the cost of bail is based on several factors. To help you understand more about how much bail is owed for your case, read on.

The Rules and Laws Governing Bail

Bail is not guaranteed for all of those arrested. For those accused of crimes like murder, kidnapping, rape, and others, bail may be denied. Criminal defense attorneys often argue the need for their clients to be offered bail and the judge can change their mind after denying bail. They can also reduce bail in some instances. The main argument presented to the judge is that the person is going to abide by bail conditions and appear at all future court hearings and events.

Beyond that, judges can use their own discretion when making the bail decision. For common crimes, some jails post what is known as a bail schedule. This allows the accused to know their bail immediately without having to go before a judge at a bail hearing or an arraignment. The crimes handled by bail schedules are usually misdemeanors rather than felonies.

Factors That Affect the Cost of the Bail

  1. Criminal record – For first-time offenders, bail is often lower than with those with more extensive criminal records.
  2. Reputation of the accused – Those with ties to the community, such as people with local family and a job, are seen as less of a flight risk.
  3. Crimes – The more serious the crime, the higher the bail. Those who are charged with several counts of a crime are at a disadvantage as well.
  4. Algorithms – To cut down on the potential for judges to unfairly target certain minorities with more expensive bail costs, some courts use a bail algorithm. Using the historical data compiled by the justice system, bail is set according to the potential for certain defendants to comply with bail conditions. Missing from the data is racial information and the data instead includes the crime, the age, employment information, and more.

How to Afford Bail

When all is said and done, defendants have little choice in the bail costs. They can, however, acquire legal help from a criminal defense attorney and they can often successfully argue against high bail or denied bail opportunities. Speak to a criminal lawyer at your earlier convenience.

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