We’d like to take this opportunity to share with you another “Word of the Day” feature from Verdikt Media Enterprise Group.

Aaron Duncan, Owner/Bondsmen of Chances Bailbonds, sits down with the world-famous Judge Joe Brown for another legal term: Arraignment.

Most citizens get a culture shock after an arrest. Watch for an example of a proceeding that transpires after catching a criminal case.

Arraignments Near You

Alexandria General District Court

http://www.courts.state.va.us/courts/gd/alexandria/home.html                ”

Arraignments and Video Arraignments:  9:00 a.m.

Arlington Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

http://www.courts.state.va.us/courts/jdr/arlington/home.html

Arraignments and Advisories (in custody): Mon. – Fri., 9:00 a.m.

Arraignments and Advisories (out of custody): Mon. – Thur., 2:00 p.m.

Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

http://www.courts.state.va.us/courts/jdr/fairfax_county/home.html

Arraignments: Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m.

Loudoun General District Court

http://www.courts.state.va.us/courts/gd/loudoun/home.html

Courtroom #1D: Monday – Friday

Arraignments: 11:15 a.m.

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

http://www.courts.state.va.us/courts/jdr/loudoun/home.html

Arraignments: 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m., Mon. – Fri.

Prince William General District Court

http://www.courts.state.va.us/courts/gd/prince_william/home.html

Arraignments: Mon. – Fri., 8:30 a.m. – Walk-in arraignments, Courtroom  1

Mon. – Fri., 9:30 a.m. – In jail video arraignments, Courtroom 2

(The judge scheduled for Civil Court will do the arraignments)

Prince William Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

http://www.courts.state.va.us/courts/jdr/prince_william/home.html

Adult Criminal Lock-Up Arraignments:    Mon. – Fri., 8:30 a.m.

Adult Criminal Walk-In Arraignments:    Mon. – Fri., 9:00 a.m.

Civil Preliminary Hearings/Juvenile  Arraignments (Advisement of Rights):    Mon. – Fri., 10:30 a.m.

Stafford General District Court

http://www.courts.state.va.us/courts/gd/stafford/home.html

Arraignments: Tues. – Fri., 8:30 a.m.

Stafford Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

http://www.courts.state.va.us/courts/jdr/stafford/home.html

Adult Arraignment:    1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th Fri., 9:00 a.m.

Juvenile Arraignment:    1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th Fri., 10:00 a.m.

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The post Word of the Day: “Arraignment” appeared first on Chances Bail Bonds.

Bail bonds can be expensive. We charge 10%, that’s the lowest allowable fee, by law. Still, that 10% can be more than a normal person can pay. We can take installment payments, but in bad situations, a client may not be able to manage a monthly bill. Our fee is not the end of the financial problems that arise from being held in jail and unable to afford bail; it is only the beginning.

Let’s take a look at legal fees for a moment. Some lawyers will charge a set amount for talking to you in the first place. That could be as low as a couple of hundred dollars, or up into thousands. On top of that, they charge hourly fees for their time, and their paralegal’s work, too.

When a suspect can’t afford the initial amount the court set for bail, their lawyer can file a bail motion later in the pre-trial process, and formally request that the bail bond cost be lowered for extenuating circumstances. The motion may not be successful, or the new amount may still be out of the individual’s reach.

Crafting a bond motion takes the lawyer’s time. His time always equals money. Suppose he charges $250 an hour for his time, and it takes him two hours to build the case for the motion. He hands his notes to his paralegal, and it takes her an hour to type up the material. For the sake of argument, the lawyer’s office charges $100 for a paralegal’s time. That’s $600, but it doesn’t end there.

(Did you know they might also charge their hourly fee for phone calls and emails?)

The lawyer takes the bond motion before the judge. How long does that take? Another hour or two? Add another $250 to $500 to that original $600. Already, extra money has been added to the individual’s bill, beyond the initial consultation fee.

Dollar signs mount, and the money missing from family funds starts to be felt in a big way.

When someone is living from paycheck to paycheck, or is the only member of the household who has a job, his or her family suffers the instant they can’t work. There may not be any savings to rely on, and that most recent paycheck disappears very quickly, because people need food on the table. Worse than that, an employer (depending on company rules, or local laws) can fire someone for absence from work, while that individual is being held in jail…unable to afford bail in order to be at work in the first place.

Like the NYT article says:

“Bail conditions are not supposed to be punitive. They are supposed to impose as little restriction as is needed to reasonably ensure that a defendant appears in court.” That is the spirit of the legal system,  but local laws may specify the bail amounts for certain crimes. Those bail conditions could be punitive, depending on the financial situation of the suspect, and the amount of money involved.

The legal world is debating situations where this is the case. We don’t know where the decisions will fall in this discussion, but we hope for an outcome that doesn’t penalize an offender. Fixing the problem might require an overhaul of the legal system as we know it, and that could take a very long time. What we do know is that people should make their voices heard.

Speak to your local government representatives and let them know how punitive bail conditions make you feel. Tell them you believe this hurts innocent family members, and increases the likelihood of more problems in your community. Enough people voicing their opinions can make it clear to elected officials that something needs to be done.

We may never be able to sufficiently impact what lawyers charge for their services, but we can choose legal representation that is more affordable when we have the opportunity. The choice of a lawyer, and the choice of a bail bondsman, who can work with you in your financial situation are vital to the due process of law that you are guaranteed.

Make good choices, and make them informed, with your eyes open.

I just found another excellent source for information about bond motions. Check it out!

The post New York Times article appeared first on Chances Bail Bonds.

An arrest in Virginia on suspicion of having committed a crime is not a direct trip from the squad car to a detention center. There are situations where someone can be released from jail prior to trial. The most likely forms of pre-trial release are personal recognizance and bail.

When someone is arrested for a crime in Virginia, they are brought before a Magistrate after being processed into holding. During that meeting, the Magistrate will discuss the nature of the crime, or crimes, that the arrestee is charged with, and set bail or release him on his own recognizance.

Release on personal recognizance may occur if the Magistrate decides that the suspect is of good character, not a danger to himself or others, and has significant ties to the community. This variety of furlough between trials makes the assumption that the accused will not flee, be responsible for appearing at future court dates, and be on his best behavior at all times.

A Magistrate who feels that personal recognizance is too liberal for the suspect, may want to offer pre-trial release with financial motivation to return for upcoming court appearances. This is what is known as “bail.”

Bail is a method of insuring that a suspect will return for court dates. A dollar value is assigned to the crime by the Magistrate—whether by state-determined schedules, or other means—and presented as an alternative to being held in jail. If the accused can offer that sum to the court, he will be released on his own responsibility to appear for further court appearances.

In many cases, regardless of how reasonable the bail amount may be, the accused may not have the liquid assets to cover it. Collateral is then required by the court to cover the full amount of the bail bond.

Forms of collateral include:

1. Surety Bonds-in this case, the family agrees to pay 10% of the bail cost to a bail bondsman, who will provide the full sum to the court
2. Property Bond-the guarantors of the bail put up their property as collateral. A lien is placed on that property; if the accused does not appear for trial, the court may order the property to be foreclosed
3. Home-this is when they offer their home for payment purposes. Normally, the court will require that the property value have 150% equity. The home will be sold to pay the bail.
4. Land-the client’s land is offered to the court, which sells it in order to cover the cost of bail
5. Bank accounts-the individual or family turns over all or part of their bank account balance to cover the bail
6. Car-this works just like houses and land
7. Jewelry-the party offers their jewelry for appraisal, and it is handed over to the court for sale to secure the bond
8. Firearms-just like jewelry, if they’re in good condition
9. Items that can be pawned-this includes anything that has enough monetary value to be offered to a pawnshop
10. Cash-the guarantor pays the full amount in cash, or when the court will accept it, credit cards or checks

Many people do not realize that bail bonds are not a price paid to be released until trial; it is simply a form of insurance. Bail collateral is held, not spent. If the defendant returns for his trial dates, the bail amount will be refunded to him.

On the other hand, if he decides to run away, the bail funds are forfeit and will not be returned. This means that any form of collateral that is presented, house, land, car, or otherwise, will be sold to cover the bond.

The defendant or his family may choose to acquire the services of a bail bondsman if they would rather not risk their other assets. A bail bondsmen will, for a fee (as little as 10% of the bail amount), pay the court the entire sum required to cover the bond for pre-trial release.

Again, if the defendant chooses to flee rather than appear for court, the bail amount is seized by the court. Unfortunately, when bail has been posted with a bondsman, he is the one who takes the loss. By signing an agreement with the bail bondsman, the defendant and/or his family become responsible for paying back the entire amount of the bail bond to their service provider.

In every case when a defendant flees, there are costly repercussions. Whomever posted the bail loses their property, or finds himself, or herself, in debt to a bondsman. Bail forfeiture will appear on credit records and criminal records. This is a consequence that could linger longer than the defendant’s debt to society, whether it is a jail sentence, probation, community service, fines, or a combination of all four.

The Magistrate, having reviewed both options for releasing the accused before his court appearances, may decide to keep him in custody. While this is often disappointing and very stressful, it isn’t the end of the process. There are other opportunities to be granted bail other than the initial hearing.

An attorney will advise his client when a bail motion may be presented to the judge during a subsequent court appearance. A bail motion is a formal request for the judge to reconsider offering pre-trial release to the defendant. If it is granted, and bail is set, the process of providing the funds to the court begins again.

It is our hope that you will not find yourself or a loved one in any of these situations, but we would like to leave you with a few words of advice. Choose a bail bondsman the same way you would an attorney: experience matters, and trust is vital. Both an attorneys and bondsmen have your best interests at heart; they understand the consequences that you may not see in the heat of the moment and will offer you the best information they can.

The post Pre-Trial Release appeared first on Chances Bail Bonds.

comes to having your friend or relative release from Jail. Because we understand how tough and inconvenient

times can be, below we have listed a few helpful tips and advice you should gather before making bail bond arrangements.

* Make sure you have the full legal name and Date of Birth for the person arrested

* Gather the nature and the reasons behind why your loved one may have been arrested

* If possible knowing the arrested individual”s criminal history is helpful (probation,parole,previous arrest,protective orders etc)

* Ties to the community. How long has the individual arrested been in the immediate area

* Citizenship Status immigration alone is a difficult hurdle when trying to be release from jail

*Child Support obligations (if arrested for child support cash bonds are set most of the time)

If arrested in Fairfax County inmates are generally taken to the location shown below. The courthouse is next door to the detention center. The Magistrates office is located there also. If you would like to bail a friend or relative out of jail give us a call and we would love to help you thru the Bail Bond process! (703) 591-2245 or (877) 787-3380 Fast, Quick, and Affordable

The post How to Post a Bail Bond in Fairfax,Virginia Am or PM appeared first on Chances Bail Bonds.